The Moth in the Meadow Neko
by Mothstar
Summary: A neko version of my very first story. Revised, rewritten, and reformated, follow Mothkit through new eyes as she follows her destiny to save the forest. Rated T for death; content is avoided.
1. Prologue

_**The Moth in the Meadow**_

_A retelling of my first story, but with nekos instead of cats! NOT a word-for-word transition; much-needed editing has been done, as well as a drastic change in the way they are organized within the camp._

"Let all nekos old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Tallstone for a Clan meeting!"

From his perch on the Tallstone, the handsome man watched through narrowed amber eyes as figures, humanoid save their cat ears and tails, assembled in the snowy clearing. Their breath billowed out in tiny clouds, and their tails were fluffed up against the cold. The man on the stone noted that not a single one was wearing the short pants commonplace for the Clan of the forest. Eyes gleamed expectantly as heads turned towards the single golden-haired man, the leader of their Clan.

"My fellow Clanmates," the man began, "this has been a harsh leaf-bare for the whole forest. I thank StarClan for your hard work to support LightningClan through another leaf-bare, and I thank you now." He raised his voice in the customary call. "LightningClan!"

"LightningClan! LightningClan!" The nekos in the clearing joined their voices with his, yowling their pride to Silverpelt.

The leader waved one hand to calm the crowd. When they fell silent, he resumed his speech.

"Unfortunately, leaf-bare brings illness and hunger as well as its challenge for us to survive another season."

A hoarse croak from a corner of the clearing confirmed his statement. The leader's gaze traveled to a man, unusually pale and gaunt, leaning heavily on a young white-haired woman. The man brushed aside tangled red hair to gaze up at the leader with amber eyes betraying unbearable weariness.

The man doubled over suddenly in a weak coughing fit. The snow-haired woman supported him as his knees buckled below him. The woman caught the leader's eye as the man gasped for breath.

"Lionstar," she whispered, green eyes pleading. "Lionstar."

Lionstar looked back at her helplessly.

"Come on, Redpelt," she murmured to the wheezing man. "Sleep will do you good."

The man did not protest as he leaned exhaustedly on the woman's shoulder. She guided him into a square hut near her.

After Redpelt had gone, Lionstar forced his attention from the deputy and back to his worried Clan.

"Iceberry is doing marvelously in her care for our Clan during this hard time."

Suddenly Redpelt staggered out of the hut into which the two had entered. The white-haired woman followed, protesting. He collapsed on the snow-covered stone, his chest heaving.

"Redpelt," she begged the man, "come back and rest."

"There—" The man broke off to choke a blob of phlegm onto the snow ground. "There is no hope for me now. I will join StarClan before the night is over."

Lionstar glanced worriedly at the black sky. Surely the man's spirit would not remain here for much longer.

The deputy looked up at Lionstar once more. "Lionstar," he whispered huskily, "come here. Quickly."

Lionstar leapt off of the stone with practiced ease and darted to his deputy's side. "Yes, Redpelt?"

Redpelt's eyes were glazed, but he met Lionstar's stare unwaveringly. "StarClan have spoken to me," he murmured. "Come closer."

Lionstar leaned nearer to the man, refusing to flinch from the stench of illness and death clinging to him.

"_Beware the frog in the stream that will bring destruction to the whole forest. Only the moth in the meadow will save the Clans."_

"What do you mean?" Lionstar asked, bewildered.

Redpelt's eyes were beginning to close. "I have passed on the message," he breathed. "Goodbye, friend."

The man's chest shuddered as he breathed his last breath, then he relaxed with an impossibly deep sigh.

Lionstar couldn't believe it at first, shock overwhelming him until Iceberry's light touch on his shoulder caught his attention.

"He's gone to join StarClan," she whispered.

"I know," he replied dully. His hands and face didn't sting from the cold anymore; they had gone numb.

Lionstar forced himself to his feet. "Nekos of LightningClan," he announced, "I say these words before the spirit of Redpelt, that StarClan may hear and approve of my choice."

The Clan froze. All eyes were on him.

"Falconpelt will be the new deputy of LightningClan."

As the muscular man stepped forward, the Clan called his name. "Falconpelt! Falconpelt!"

Falconpelt's amber eyes were shadowed with grief, but he raised his chin proudly. "I am honored."

"Falconpelt!" A pregnant woman, her hair bright red against the snow and night, pushed out of another hut. "Falconpelt!"

"Firelight," Falconpelt murmured. "You should be resting."

Firelight stepped back and examined her mate with flashing green eyes. "I couldn't just sit around and listen to everyone cheering for you. I had to come and cheer myself."

Falconpelt embraced her gently, turning somewhat to avoid contact with her swollen stomach. "Still," he muttered mutinously.

She drew back slightly to look into his eyes. "Still? Lilyheart was having pains. If you're so disturbed that I came to see you, think that I at least gave Lilyheart some peace." The queen looked up suddenly and noticed Lionstar standing nearby, his hands curled into fists tight enough that his sharpened nails dug into his skin.

"Yes," she continued hurriedly, "Lilyheart's having pains. She seems fine, though."

An agonized wail rang through the camp, roughened by illness.

Lionstar dashed away and burst into the hut. Lilyheart was lying on a fluffy cot slightly off the floor. The slender woman's stomach was huge, and sweat trickled down her face. Her green eyes met Lionstar's, and he hurried to her side and swept her damp brown hair out of her eyes.

"Lionstar," she rasped, "what am I going to do?"

"You're going to be all right," he told her, forcing the words out. "Iceberry's coming, and Whitefoot's kitted before. They'll help you."

She looked at him. "And how are you going to help?" she asked weakly.

"I'll pray to StarClan," he promised as the medicine neko slipped into the hut. He backed out, his gaze locked with hers, until Iceberry began preparing for the kitting. Lionstar turned and paced out of the hut, closing the door to Lilyheart's wails.

A bead of coldness landed on him and melted in his golden hair. Lionstar looked up and watched as tiny snowflakes drifted out of the black expanse beyond. The warriors of StarClan gleamed faintly, as if they were busy welcoming Redpelt among them.

A single tear rolled down Lionstar's cheek. As he continued staring upwards, a yell burst out of him.

"What lies ahead?" he begged. "What do I have to do?"

**ALLEGIANCES**

**LightningClan:**

Leader: Lionstar: tall, strong man with thick golden hair, ears, and tail and amber eyes

Deputy: Falconpelt: muscular man with orange, red, and white patched hair, orange-red-white patched tail and ears, and amber eyes

Medicine neko: Iceberry: fair-skinned woman with white hair, ears, and tail and green eyes

Warriors:

Willowstripe: woman with cream, black, and tan hair and ears and a cream-black-tan ringed tail  
Apprentice, Acornpaw

Dawnpetal: woman with a dark tan, brown-and-cream hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Branchpaw

Robinheart: woman with brown hair streaked with red, brown ears and a brown-and-red splotched tail

Pinetail: sturdy man with brown-and-red hair and ears and a brown-and-red ringed tail  
Apprentice, Twigpaw

Cloudfoot: man with dark gray hair and ears tufted with white and a white-and-gray tail

Rainclaw: muscular man with shaggy dark gray hair, ears, and tail

Applepelt: fair-skinned man with white-and-red patched hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Ashpaw

Stonewhisker: man with light gray hair and light gray tabby-patterned ears and tail  
Apprentice, Sparrowpaw

Mouseclaw: sturdy man with brown hair, ears, and tabby tail  
Apprentice, Willowpaw

Pebblewhisker: muscular man with pale gray hair, ears, and tail

Moonfoot: woman with a dark tan, black hair, one white ear, black tail tipped with white, and blue eyes

Graynose: sturdy man with gray hair, ears, and tail

Flameflower: woman with red hair, ears, and tail and green eyes

Russetfang: sturdy man with dark red hair, ears, and dark-ringed tail

Blueleaf: slightly fair-skinned woman with blue-gray hair, ears, and tail and leaf-green eyes

Floodfang: tall, muscular man with light brown hair, ears, and tail and deep blue eyes

Apprentices:

Acornpaw: young woman with light brown hair, ears, and tail and green eyes

Branchpaw: sturdy young man with dark brown hair, ears, and a dark tabby tail

Twigpaw: lanky young man with pale brown hair, ears, and tail

Ashpaw: young woman with gray-and-white hair, ears, and tail and yellow eyes

Sparrowpaw: young man with brown hair, ears, and tail, all flecked with ginger

Willowpaw: young woman with light brown hair, ears, and a light tabby tail

Queens:

Whitefoot: woman with black hair and tail; white ears; white flecks in hair; white-tipped tail; mother to Cloudfoot's kits: Waterkit (boy with light brown hair and ears, light tabby tail, and green eyes), Smokekit (boy with gray hair and ears, gray tabby tail, and green eyes), and Blizzardkit (fair-skinned girl with white hair and blue eyes)

Lilyheart: woman with light brown hair, ears, and tail and green eyes; mother to Lionstar's kits: Emberkit (boy with a dark tan, brown-and-red mottled ears, tail, and hair, and green eyes), Mosskit (slightly pale girl with light brown and white hair, ears, and tail and green eyes), and Mothkit (girl with golden hair and amber eyes)

Firelight: woman with bright red hair and green eyes, expecting Falconpelt's kits

Leopardpelt: fair-skinned woman with freckles, golden brown hair, and leopard-spotted ears and tail, expecting Pebblewhisker's kits

Elders:

Whitewhisker: skinny man with white hair, ears, and tail

Willowtail: woman with light brown hair, ears, and tail

Birchfoot: man with a dark tan, brown hair, and a pale-tanned hand

Eggfoot: man with slightly fair skin and creamy white hair, ears, and tail; former medicine neko

**StreamClan:**

Leader: Troutstar: man with long thick brown hair, brown ears, and a black tail

Deputy: Freezetail: fair-skinned woman with long white hair, ears, and tail and blue eyes

Medicine neko: Mousefoot: small man with brown hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Cloudpaw

Warriors:

Rosewillow: slender woman with long light red hair, red ears, and red tail  
Apprentice, Duckpaw

Stonepelt: muscular man with light gray hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Onepaw

Minnowlight: woman with long silver hair, ears, and tail

Snowfall: fair-skinned woman with long white hair, ears, and tail

Stormwhisker: dark-tanned man with dark gray hair, ears, and tail

Mistwing: woman with long light gray and white hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Heronpaw

Patchfire: man with black-red-gold spotted hair, ears, and tail

Sparrowsplash: man with brown hair, ears, and tabby tail

Frogclaw: muscular man with a dark tan and brown-and-black hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Reedpaw

Weaselwhisker: man with brown hair, ears, and tabby tail

Nettlewhisker: man with brown hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Goldpaw

Puddlepelt: dark-tanned man with black hair, ears, and black tabby tail

Apprentices:

Cloudpaw: fair-skinned young man with white hair, ears, and tail

Duckpaw: fair-skinned young woman with long yellow hair, ears, and tail

Onepaw: young man with brown hair, ears, and tail; one disfigured ear

Heronpaw: fair-skinned young woman with long white hair, ears, and tail

Reedpaw: young man with black hair, ears, and tail

Goldpaw: fair-skinned young man with golden hair, ears, and tail

Queens:

Fallowfur: woman with long brown hair, ears, and tail, mother to Weaselwhisker's kits

Elders:

Morningfur: fair-skinned elderly woman with brown hair, ears, and tail

Rippletooth: dark-tanned man with dark gray hair, ears, and tail and jagged front teeth

**BreezeClan:**

Leader: Stormstar: tall, wiry man with dark-brown-and-black hair, ears, and tail

Deputy: Barkclaw: sturdy, wiry man with brown hair, ears, and tail

Medicine neko: Rabbitfur: skinny man with brown hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Heatherpaw

Warriors:

Eagleclaw: muscular, wiry man with white-and-brown striped hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Rowanpaw

Gorsewhisker: wiry man with light brown hair, ears, and tail

Speckleclaw: sturdy man with light brown hair, ears, and tail; dark brown flecks throughout all  
Apprentice, Sproutpaw

Blackbreeze: woman with a dark tan and black hair, ears, and tail

Sedgefoot: man with light brown hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Harepaw

Flamefoot: dark-tanned woman with dark brown hair, ears, and tail; reddish hands and tail-tip  
Apprentice, Owlpaw

Sandwhisker: wiry woman with light brown hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Oakpaw

Pricklefoot: man with brown hair, ears, and tabby tail; particularly long nails on hand and foot

Beetlenose: man with brown hair, ears, and tail

Windwillow: slender woman with pale brown hair, ears, and tail; all flecked with darker brown; amber eyes

Apprentices:

Heatherpaw: young woman with brown hair, ears, and tabby tail and heather-blue eyes

Rowanpaw: young man with dark red hair, ears, and tail

Sproutpaw: young woman with brown hair, ears, and tail and green eyes

Harepaw: young man with brown hair, ears, and tail

Owlpaw: young woman with brown hair, ears, and tail and yellow eyes

Oakpaw: dark-tanned young man with dark brown hair, ears, and tail

Queens:

Squirrelfoot: red-haired woman

Moonwillow: woman with black hair and black-and-white ears and tail, mother to Beetlenose's kits

Duskfall: dark-tanned woman with dark brown hair, ears, and tail

Elders:

Yellowtail: elderly man with yellow hair, ears, and tail

Copperpelt: man with dark gold hair, eras, and tail

**DarkClan:**

Leader: Tawnystar: dark-tanned woman with dark tawny-red hair, ears, and tail

Deputy: Greenwillow: woman with gray hair, ears, and gray tabby tail and bright green eyes

Medicine neko: Leafheart: woman with light brown-and-white hair, ears, and tabby tail and green eyes

Warriors:

Burntpelt: dark-tanned woman with dark red hair, ears, and tail

Briarpelt: woman with brown hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Nutpaw

Crownose: dark-tanned man with black hair, ears, and tail  
Apprentice, Duskpaw

Ravenwing: dark-tanned woman with black hair, ears, and tail

Grassfoot: man with a slight tan and light brown hair, ears, and light tabby tail and green eyes

Plumleaf: woman with a slight tan and light brown hair, ears, and light tabby tail  
Apprentice, Bumblepaw

Thrushnose: sturdy man with a dark tan and brown hair, ears, and tail

Apprentices:

Nutpaw: tan young man with light brown hair, ears, and tail

Duskpaw: dark-tanned young woman with dark brown hair, ears, and tail

Bumblepaw: young man with black-and-yellow-striped hair, ears, and ringed tail

Queens:

Sunbird: fair-skinned woman with golden hair, ears, and tail, nursing Burntpelt's kits

Russetwing: dark-tanned woman with dark red hair, ears, and tail and amber eyes

Elders:

Blackeye: older man with a dark tan; black hair, ears, and tail; and blind yellow eyes

Shrewtail: man with light brown hair, ears, and short tail

**Outside Clans:**

Badger: huge, muscular man with black-and-white hair, ears, and tail; from No-tail-place

Agony: large, muscular man with a dark tan and brown hair, ears, and tabby tail; from No-tail-place


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A little girl walked through a sunny field. She looked upwards and screwed up amber eyes when the sun glared in her face. She shook her head slowly, looking around, the light gleaming on her golden hair. Two ears of the same shade poked out of her hair. She rubbed her nose with one hand, relishing the warmth. She was interrupted by a drop of water landing on her forehead and rolling squarely down her cold nose. The girl growled to herself, examining the sky for rainclouds, but the sun shined brightly in the blue expanse.

"The roof's leaking again!"

Mothkit opened her eyes. She was lying in a bed with her siblings. A dark-tanned boy rolled over onto his paler sister, who grumbled and pushed him away.

Mothkit ignored them and looked around the rest of the nursery. Waterkit, his light brown hair tousled from sleep, was prodding his mother, a woman with two neat white ears contrasting her black hair.

"Ugh." Whitefoot opened her eyes a slit and nudged her kit. "Waterkit, it's too early for me. Move or something."

"I've tried!" he insisted.

"Let me sleep," Whitefoot murmured, rolling over drowsily.

Waterkit stomped one foot and turned around. His green eyes flashed in surprise when he saw Mothkit watching him.

"Hi, Mothkit!" he called, bounding across the nursery to her bedside. "Is Emberkit awake yet?"

"Not until now," the darker boy muttered, sitting up and brushing aside long mottled hair with a hand. The red-and-brown pattern played tricks on Mothkit's eyes in the shade of the nursery hut.

Emberkit's amber gaze met Mothkit's own. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not very long," she replied. "The roof's leaking."

A drop of water splashed on the sleeping girl's forehead, dampening her gray-and-white hair. She squeaked in surprise and shot upright.

"You're scared of water," another voice teased.

Smokekit padded out of the shadows, green eyes gleaming at Mosskit's horrified expression. "Does that mean you're scared of him?" he continued, flicking his gray tabby tail at Waterkit.

"Am not!" Mosskit exclaimed hotly.

"Smokekit!"

The tanned woman Leopardpelt swung her legs over the side of her cot and glared at Smokekit. "Warriors do _not_ tease," she scolded. "They support each other."

"But we're not warriors yet!" Waterkit pointed out.

A snort sounded from Waterkit and Smokekit's cot. "You know what she means!"

Fair-skinned Blizzardkit rolled out of bed and glared at her brothers with flattened white ears and flashing blue eyes.

"Stop being fox-hearts!" she snapped.

Whitefoot got out of bed and cuffed her daughter lightly over the ear. "Blizzardkit," she murmured. "They're boys. Relax."

Blizzardkit obeyed. The three were almost ready to be apprentices, and Blizzardkit's mood swings were starting to drive Mothkit crazy. Smokekit and Waterkit, on the other hand, exploited every available moment to tease the queens and generally make themselves nuisances. Mothkit was close to her denmates, but she would be happy for some peace when they moved to the apprentices' den. Lilyheart had told Mothkit that she would be like that one day, but Mothkit didn't believe her.

Mothkit pricked her ears at her father's voice outside the hut. He wasn't calling for his kits or even Lilyheart. Mothkit tilted her head, confused.

A red-haired woman pushed herself out of bed with a grunt. "Clan meeting," she noted, trotting out of the nursery. The door swung on its hinges behind her, and Waterkit darted forward to hold it open for the queens. He closed it briefly in Mothkit's face with a teasing 'not for you.' Mothkit hissed and pushed past him into the clearing.

Lilyheart had slept in the leader's den with Lionstar the previous night and was there to meet her kits with kisses of welcome.

Emberkit brushed it off his cheek with a snort, and Lilyheart smiled lovingly at him. Mothkit wiped her cheek with a hand when her mother's back was turned, but smiled back when Lilyheart's green eyes fell on Mothkit.

Lionstar alighted on the ground with a soft scuff of moccasins. Mothkit had heard tales of the No-tails. How could they hunt with clunky footwear and all sorts of jangly things hanging off their clothes?

"Nekos of LightningClan," he announced, quieting the gathered nekos, "we have three apprentices who have passed their final assessments and are ready to be made warriors."

Lionstar's amber gaze met the eyes of two women, one dark-tanned, and a sturdy man. "Willowstripe, Dawnpetal, Pinetail, do you confirm that your apprentices have studied the ways of the warrior, have taken the warrior code to heart, and will give their all for the benefit of LightningClan?"

Willowstripe, her cream-black-and-tan hair shining in the sunlight, inclined her head. "Acornpaw couldn't be more ready."

Her sister Dawnpetal, dark-tanned and dark-furred, nodded. "Branchpaw surpasses me in fighting skills and would make a valuable warrior."

Pinetail rolled broad shoulders and twitched a brown-and-red ear. "Twigpaw's got a marvelous memory. He could recite the warrior code backwards."

Lionstar smiled. "Very well." He twisted his wrist slightly and beckoned three cats forward with one forefinger. "Please come forward."

Acornpaw was a lovely young woman, her light brown hair shimmering in the light. Her green eyes revealed barely contained excitement.

Her brother Branchpaw stood beside her, his bulk making her look slender. His tail, dark brown and striped, trembled slightly.

Twigpaw was lanky and true to his name. His pale brown ears twitched nervously.

Lionstar raised his eyes to the sky. "I, Lionstar, leader of LightningClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to honor the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He padded up to Acornpaw and placed his hand on her shoulder, meeting her gaze. "Acornpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

Acornpaw raised her chin. "I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Acornpaw, from this moment forward you shall be known as Acornfur. StarClan honors your skill and your cleverness, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

The newly named Acornfur placed her hand over Lionstar's and bowed her head respectfully.

Lionstar moved on to Branchpaw and placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Branchpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

Branchpaw showed no fear as he vowed, "I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Branchpaw, you shall be known as Branchfang. StarClan honors your fighting skills and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Like his sister, Branchfang placed his hand over Lionstar's and bowed his head respectfully.

Twigpaw shivered as Lionstar placed his hand on his shoulder. "Twigpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

Twigpaw's voice cracked, but he swallowed and said, "I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Twigpaw, you shall be known as Twigwhisker. StarClan honors your cunning and your hunting skills, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Twigwhisker placed his hand over Lionstar's and bowed his head respectfully.

Lionstar stepped back from the three new warriors and began the call. "Acornfur! Branchfang! Twigwhisker!"

"Acornfur! Branchfang! Twigwhisker!" Mothkit added her voice to the yowls of the rest of the Clan.

Lionstar waved his hand after a few moments, quieting the crowd. "I also would like to mention that, with three fine kits in the nursery—" He couldn't hold back a smile, and Mosskit skipped around Lilyheart in pleasure. "—and more on the way, we must make room for the newcomers. We have three kits ready to become apprentices!"

"What? Me?"

Blizzardkit's pale face reddened as she realized that she had blurted her surprise aloud. Waterkit flicked his tail at her, striking it against her arm.

"Of course he means us, mouse-brain!"

"Don't hit me!" she growled, snatching at his tail. Smokekit struck her other arm with his own tail, and she practically spat at him.

"Boys!"

A dark-gray-haired man, his white-tufted ears askew in irritation—or was it embarrassment? — grabbed Smokekit and Waterkit by the shoulder and turned them to face him.

"You be nice to your sister, you hear me? Also, this is as bad a time as any to tease her. Not only are you embarrassing her, you're making fools of yourselves and making your mother and I look bad!"

The brothers hung their heads, subdued. "We're sorry, Father," Smokekit mumbled.

"Sorry," Waterkit echoed.

"Good." Cloudfoot's blue eyes brightened. "Now, go make Daddy proud, okay?" Smokekit and Waterkit nodded vigorously. "Okay? Good. Go on." Cloudfoot patted his sons' shoulders and watched proudly as they scampered to their mother, who produced a comb and began untangling their hair. Lilyheart handed Blizzardkit her own comb, and the girl thanked her before working on her snow-white hair.

After a little while, Whitefoot deemed the kits presentable, and they stood in a line, staring solemnly at Lionstar.

Lionstar blinked comfortingly at the nervous siblings and took a breath. "Waterkit, Smokekit, and Blizzardkit have reached their sixth moon. They have matured and are ready for the training and privileges of apprenticeship. Waterkit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Waterpaw."

Waterpaw beamed.

"Graynose." Lionstar beckoned the gray-haired man forward. "You had an excellent mentor in Redpelt. I expect you will pass along everything you've learned to Waterpaw."

Waterpaw trotted over to Graynose and shook hands with him as is customary for a new apprentice and mentor.

"Smokekit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Smokepaw. Rainclaw," Lionstar nodded at a dark-gray-haired man, "you will mentor Smokepaw."

Smokepaw and Rainclaw shook hands slightly awkwardly; Smokepaw was Rainclaw's second apprentice.

"Blizzardkit, from this day forward you shall be known as Blizzardpaw. Moonfoot—" The black-haired woman stepped forward, blue eyes shining. "—you will mentor Blizzardpaw." Blizzardpaw and Moonfoot shook hands.

"Graynose, Rainclaw, and Moonfoot, I entrust you with the responsibility to help your apprentices along the path of a warrior. Help them transition into adulthood."

The mentors dipped their heads. The new apprentices squirmed, eager to begin training. Lionstar noticed their fidgeting and flicked his tail to end the meeting. The nekos broke into groups, chattering excitedly.

Waterpaw looked up at Graynose. "When are we going to start?"

"If there's a patrol, I'm making sure we're on it," the warrior replied. Waterpaw pumped his fist in the air and whooped.

Mothkit looked at Lilyheart, but her mother put one hand gently on her head. "When you're older," she murmured.

"I'm older," she argued.

"No, you're not," Lilyheart corrected.

Mothkit snorted softly and stalked off. In two moons she'd be older. The newleaf prey would be running then. She'd be the best hunter LightningClan would ever see.

**LOL. Wanted to keep going, but at 1800 words I had to end there. See you next chapter…**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Mothkit awoke to snoring.

She moaned and rolled over, covering her ears with her paws. She accidently elbowed Emberkit in the shoulder, and he growled and nudged her back.

Mothkit hissed softly to herself. She was five moons old. She shouldn't be in the nursery. Why did she have to share a bed with her siblings? At least Mosskit grew slowly. Emberkit was bigger than both of them.

_And bigger than all of the other kits in the nursery_, Mothkit noted. Firelight and Leopardpelt had kitted on the same day, and Iceberry had needed to call in her former mentor Eggfoot from the elders' den. He had retired after catching greencough.

Each queen had borne three kits. Firelight had Scorchkit, Brackenkit, and Nightkit; Leopardpelt had Splashkit, Flowerkit, and Sunkit. They all annoyed her to no end. And it seemed that Brackenkit was snoring. _Annoying little girl._

Mothkit huffed and squirmed harder for her share of the cot. Emberkit growled loudly and pushed her back.

"Kits," Lilyheart said quietly. All three looked up; apparently Mosskit had been awake. "Be still now. The little ones are sleeping."

"And snoring," Emberkit grumbled.

Mosskit sniffed. "Look who's talking."

"Hey!"

Mosskit persisted. "You talk in your sleep all the time. I didn't know you were in love with Brackenkit."

"I'm not!" Emberkit protested hotly. "She snores!"

Mosskit ignored his comment. "At least you don't sleepwalk anymore. You treaded on my tail a moon ago and didn't remember at all when you woke up."

Emberkit glared at her, and suddenly Mosskit squealed.

"I remember this time," he noted smugly.

Mosskit huffed angrily and turned her back on him, massaging her tail.

Mothkit pricked her ears. She heard scuffling and smelled Waterpaw and Sparrowpaw. No doubt they were practicing their fighting.

"I'm going to go watch them fight," she announced before stomping out of the hut. She sat on a fallen log and looked on as the older brown-haired apprentice fought with Waterpaw. Each held a training knife. These dull knives were made from sturdy wood rubbed down to a dull point that did not splinter. The worst injury you could receive in a regular training session was a bruise and, judging by the blue-black splotches on their bare arms, both had accumulated plenty.

Sparrowpaw narrowed his yellow eyes, crouching, ready to spring or dodge. When Waterpaw lunged he launched off of his fingertips and leapt above the younger apprentice. Waterpaw looked up a heartbeat too late; his green eyes widened as Sparrowpaw plunged down on him. Sparrowpaw landed heavily and held the training knife to Waterpaw's throat.

He paused. "You're bleeding."

Waterpaw tilted his head. A long, shallow scratch ran down the side of his face. Blood oozed out of it.

"You cut me as you fell," Waterpaw explained. "With your nails."

Sparrowpaw let Waterpaw get up. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I was so focused on one hand that I forgot to use the other."

"And that might have been your downfall."

Stonewhisker, a light-gray-haired man, got up slowly from a log bench. "Your enemy could have grabbed your arm and taken you down, or maybe struck it while you were focused on something else."

Sparrowpaw nodded. "I see. Is there anything I can do about that?"

"In a battle," Stonewhisker rumbled, "you'll be striking with all your strength. You'll naturally use that arm, but I suggest you start by exercising it. You favor your right arm. If you strengthen the left, you'll be more inclined to use it. Also, if you injure your right arm, you could still use your left."

Sparrowpaw grinned broadly. "Thank you, Stonewhisker." The apprentice shifted his knife from his right hand to his left. "Bring it on, Waterpaw!"

Waterpaw wiped at his cut with the back of his hand and crouched, ready to spring. Sparrowpaw moved first, striking Waterpaw across the cheek with his right hand. Waterpaw lunged for Sparrowpaw's left arm and twisted it backwards. Sparrowpaw cried out and delivered a blow with the side of his hand to the center of Waterpaw's back. Waterpaw flinched as the muscles convulsed. Sparrowpaw took the opportunity to wrestle Waterpaw to the ground and held his hand, tensed and ready to strike, at Waterpaw's throat.

"You fight like a ShadowClan neko," Waterpaw grunted. "And you didn't use your left hand."

"Correct," Stonewhisker agreed. "Here, let me help." Sparrowpaw got to his feet, and Stonewhisker produced a strip of deer-hide and bound Sparrowpaw's right arm to his back.

"Thanks," Sparrowpaw muttered sarcastically.

Waterpaw lunged for Sparrowpaw, and the other apprentice fended off Waterpaw's blows with his forearm.

"You just lost your arm," Stonewhisker called.

Sparrowpaw growled and jabbed his knife at Waterpaw. It was poorly aimed, and Waterpaw ducked beneath the blow. In the single moment in which Sparrowpaw adjusted to this change of position, Waterpaw exploded from beneath Sparrowpaw and forced him to the ground, holding his own knife to Sparrowpaw's throat.

Waterpaw smirked. Sparrowpaw sighed noisily and relaxed in utter defeat. Waterpaw eased the knife down, and when it was so low as to be difficult to return to combat, Sparrowpaw thrust mightily with his shoulder and was back on his feet, knife ready. Waterpaw had been knocked to the ground and took slightly more time to return to his stance. Sparrowpaw narrowed his eyes and lunged for Waterpaw's weak place, his unguarded right side, just below the armpit. Waterpaw realized too late what Sparrowpaw was doing and was forced to the ground, laying on his left side with his knife hand up. He held it to Sparrowpaw's throat and pushed off of the apprentice's bare knees; he had been kneeling on the ground. Sparrowpaw gasped, and within a heartbeat Waterpaw had prodded Sparrowpaw sharply in the stomach.

"You're defeated," he proclaimed.

Sparrowpaw sighed in gracious defeat and stepped back from the younger apprentice. "You're good," he noted. "You have a natural ability for fighting. But you have a weak spot right—" Sparrowpaw poked Waterpaw just under his armpit. "—there. And if someone attacks you there, they could do some serious damage—" Sparrowpaw touched Waterpaw on the soft area beneath his ribcage. "—here."

Waterpaw winced. "You're right. But you are always focused on the person. When I moved suddenly, you didn't know where I had gone and I could strike."

Stonewhisker nodded. "You have a narrow focus, Sparrowpaw, which is good in some cases, but not all. In one-on-one combat, someone could take advantage of that."

Sparrowpaw's eyes sparkled. "Are we doing battle training today?"

Stonewhisker put a finger to his chin. "I'll think about it. I had planned to go hunting, but I'll ask Falconpelt."

"Great!" Waterpaw replied enthusiastically. "I hope Graynose agrees!"

Mothkit tilted her head, eying the apprentices jealously. She'd join them soon enough. Only one more moon.

**Uneventful chapter. That's all right. I just wanted to introduce their style of fighting. It's true that if you jab someone in the center of their upper back, it'll weird out their muscles. It's called 'tasing' someone.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Mothkit squirmed.

"I can brush my own hair," she complained.

A brush pulled at her hair once more. "I'm almost done," Lilyheart grunted.

Mosskit's voice called from nearby. "It's sticking up," she complained. Lilyheart hastily combed through the last of Mothkit's tangles and hurried to Mosskit.

Mothkit adjusted her part to the other side. Emberkit sidled up next to Mothkit, his hair unusually neat. For a brief moment Mothkit noticed how attractive her brother was. _And Waterpaw's cute too. Great StarClan, I'm seeing everything differently!_

"Okay," Lilyheart said, coming over with Mosskit. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready!" Emberkit complained.

Lilyheart led the three out of the nursery and into the clearing. Lionstar was pacing, and he grinned broadly at the sight of his mate and kits.

"Let all nekos old enough to catch their own prey gather!"

Within heartbeats most of LightningClan had assembled in the clearing and gazed at Mothkit and her littermates expectantly. Mothkit suppressed a shiver.

"We are gathered today to set three kits on the path of training. I am proud to have these three kits in LightningClan. They show true potential."

Lionstar beckoned Emberkit forward. "Emberkit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Emberpaw. Cloudfoot, I trust you will mentor Emberpaw well."

"I will," the warrior promised, shaking hands with Emberpaw.

"Mothkit." Mothkit stepped forward, stiffening her tail to hide its trembling. "From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Mothpaw. Robinheart, I expect you to mentor Mothpaw with the skill you possess."

"I'll teach her everything I know," Robinheart assured him, shaking hands with Mothpaw. Mothpaw relished the connection between mentor and apprentice that was established in that one gesture.

Mosskit looked small and afraid as she stood alone before her father. "Mosskit, from this day forward you shall be known as Mosspaw. Iceberry." The medicine neko came forward. "You had an excellent mentor in Eggfoot and I trust you will be an excellent mentor to Mosspaw as she learns the ways of a medicine neko."

"She will make a wonderful medicine neko someday," Iceberry replied, seeming distracted. She hesitated when Mosspaw held out her hand for the traditional handshake. Mothpaw followed her gaze to Eggfoot. The former medicine neko nodded at Iceberry.

"Let the young replace the old," he rasped.

Encouraged, Iceberry grasped Mosspaw's outstretched hand and shook.

"Emberpaw! Mothpaw! Mosspaw! Emberpaw! Mothpaw! Mosspaw!"

Lionstar fell silent, compelling the crowd to do so. "I'd like to welcome six new members to this meeting," he added, looking over Lilyheart's shoulder.

Mothpaw craned her neck, confused, then spat angrily as a tiny foot treaded on her tail.

"Sorry!" Splashkit squeaked.

Mothpaw snorted and nimbly leapt forward away from the kits, turning around when Robinheart did not follow.

Nightkit shook out thick black hair and flicked Emberpaw with his tail. "Will you visit?" he demanded.

Emberpaw tossed his head arrogantly. "Maybe. Maybe not."

Brackenkit squeaked and nudged him. "Stop being a know-it-all!"

Emberpaw glowered at the small black-golden kit, who proceeded to hide behind Scorchkit. The red-brown boy bared thorn-sharp teeth in a snarl.

Sunkit flounced over, his baggy shorts flapping. "I'll protect you."

Splashkit elbowed him. "Not if I get there first."

Flowerkit, her black-white-gold hair blowing in the wind, prodded them with a training knife. "Look what Smokepaw lent me," she whispered eagerly.

Lionstar strode over and gently plucked the knife from Flowerkit's pale hand. "Nice try," he rumbled. The leader looked directly at Smokepaw, who was ducking his head guiltily. "And you know better than to give knives to kits."

Blizzardpaw snorted and nudged her brother. "Told you so."

A gust of newleaf wind blew through the camp, bringing the scent of rain. Leopardpelt turned and began herding the kits toward the nursery hut.

"See you later!" Splashkit called before disappearing into the building.

Mothpaw sighed noisily as soon as they were gone. "They're so immature."

Lilyheart looked at Mothpaw sternly. "Regardless of your age, I will always be your mother. Accept my advice: do not demean other cats, even if what you say is true or if others around you do the same." She fixed her gaze on Emberpaw, showing off to Blizzardpaw. Mothpaw rolled her eyes. If Blizzardpaw had learned even a fraction of what her brothers knew, she'd be unimpressed by Emberpaw's display of pure instinct.

Emberpaw got up off the ground, dusty and panting. He winked deliberately at the pretty white apprentice, but somewhere along the line he ended up looking like a sleepwalker. Mothpaw smirked. _Boys!_

Mothpaw started at a light tap on her shoulder. Robinheart was looking down at her.

"What are we doing now?" Mothpaw burst out. "Hunt? Patrol? Train? Fight? Are we going with Waterpaw?" Surely the attractive young man would want the leader's daughter admiring his skills.

"We're not fighting," Robinheart replied, confusing Mothpaw with a show of amusement, "and we're not going with Waterpaw or Sparrowpaw for that matter."

Mothpaw flushed.

"Blizzardpaw!" Robinheart called. The pale apprentice looked up from chewing on some dried meat and hurried over.

"What is it?" she mumbled.

"Would you like to go on a hunting patrol with Mothpaw and me?"

Blizzardpaw nodded. "Sure! Anything to get away from _him_." She jerked her head towards Emberpaw, who was now boasting to his father within earshot of Willowpaw and Ashpaw.

"Since when did he become a showoff?" Mothpaw murmured.

"Since you got an eye for boys," Blizzardpaw replied. Heat blossomed on Mothpaw's cheeks. "Neither of them will fall for you," the older apprentice continued. "If anything, you should go for the younger ones."

"Kits?" Mothpaw asked incredulously. "But…but they're _kits_!"

"And you're mooning over a warrior," Robinheart retorted to Blizzardpaw breezily. Blizzardpaw's face, contrasted with her white hair, looked like an apple covered with snow. Mothpaw smiled mischievously, though she wondered which warrior Blizzardpaw liked.

"Moonfoot!" Robinheart called the dark-colored warrior over. "Would you like to go on a hunting patrol? Blizzardpaw's up to it."

Moonfoot tilted her head uncertainly. "It sounds like a good idea, but I promised Falconpelt I'd check the BreezeClan border with his patrol."

"You wouldn't want to disappoint the deputy," Robinheart replied hastily. "Take Blizzardpaw if you need her."

Moonfoot nodded. "I will, thank you." Blizzardpaw followed her mentor, subdued.

"Maybe another time!" Mothpaw called after her friend.

Robinheart looked at Mothpaw. "Ready to hunt?"

Mothpaw was struck with a wave of anxiety. "No," she admitted. "How do you catch prey?"

"Hm. We'll start with small game," Robinheart answered. "Squirrels, birds, rabbits. When you're older and stronger you can go for deer. Sometimes we get moose, too."

"I remember!" Mothpaw exclaimed. "Lionstar told me that he once killed a moose with his bare hands."

Robinheart smiled grimly. "He did, but Eggfoot had a fine time patching him back up. That's the kind of foolishness our Clan is better off without."

Mothpaw stared at her mentor, agape. "How could you talk about Lionstar like that?"

Robinheart strode towards the warriors' hut, and Mothpaw followed. "He had a prophecy of his own. He killed Dogstar, the horrid leader of DarkClan—no, _DogClan_." Robinheart spat the word like a curse. "But I'm not an elder yet," she continued, reaching into a hollow log outside the hut that was used for storage. "And you can hear elders' tales another day."

Mothpaw wanted to hear more about her father, but words dried on her tongue when Robinheart held a polished wooden bow and a deerskin quiver of arrows out to her.

"These are for you," Robinheart said. "I'll teach you how to shoot it when we leave camp. I don't want to impale anyone. When you're stronger, the bow will break, and you will get a bigger bow."

"W-won't that make it hard to catch small prey?" Mothpaw stammered, staring at the bow.

"Well, yes," Robinheart admitted. "But you can use differently sized arrows. Besides, catching a deer with a large bow is better than catching five squirrels with a small bow."

Robinheart reached into the log and pulled out her own quiver and bow. This bow was thicker and made of darker wood than Mothpaw's. The arrows had small stone tips that had been painstakingly sharpened.

In one quick motion, Robinheart ducked her head into the quiver's strap and fitted it on her back.

"How do you _do_ that?" Mothpaw asked, feeling stupid.

"It becomes a part of you," Robinheart explained. "Here." She reached over and pulled the quiver over Mothpaw's head. As the weight settled on Mothpaw's back, a smile broke out on her face. Robinheart was right. She felt complete.

"And here's your knife," Robinheart concluded. She handed Mothpaw a deerskin sheath with a handle sticking out of it that seemed to be of soft reeds. Mothpaw attached the sheath to her waist and pulled the knife out. The knife was of stone and finely polished. Mothpaw reached to feel the tip and was surprised as a prick of pain betrayed its sharpness. She gasped and sucked on her finger until the pain subsided.

Robinheart smiled wryly. "Not many cats are as wise as you. My brother slit his finger open when he first got his knife." Her eyes darkened suddenly. "I wish he was still here."

_Redpelt was her littermate_, Mothpaw recalled. "He'll always watch over you, remember," she said comfortingly, laying a hand hesitantly on Robinheart's forearm.

Robinheart smiled at her apprentice. "You have a warrior's heart," she murmured. Her tone became brisk. "Right, let's go hunting."

**I try to go to the thousands in word count. This one was 1,557. I would like to write longer chapters without losing reader interest. Do you think that would be a good idea? Please, I'd appreciate your feedback. The last chapter was 1,134; the one before it was 1,859; and the prologue was 1,067, not including the allegiances. Did the long one keep your interest? Again, I'd like your feedback, even if you don't have an account (I'll accept anonymous reviews). This feedback would benefit me, as the writer, but also you, as the reader.**

**Thank you for reading! I wanted to mention that the character Mothkit/paw is **_**not**_** the character I use to represent myself.**

**~Mothstar**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Mothpaw followed Robinheart through the forest, breathing as deeply as she could to catch every scent.

"What's that?" she asked as a particularly foul stench hit her nose. It smelled like carrion and dogs and death.

Robinheart sniffed and wrinkled her nose. "Wolf," she replied. "That's not good. If one has moved here, we'll have to chase it out. It'd as soon take a bite out of a 'paw than out of a pigeon. Foxes are like that, too, but they kill to eat. Wolves, well, they're like bears."

"Bears?" Mothpaw shivered. The forest didn't seem quite so friendly now.

Robinheart halted and looked Mothpaw in the eye. "Listen to me, Mothpaw. The No-tails call them grizzly bears. It doesn't matter to me what you call them, only what they bring: death. Brown bears eat _a lot_. If you get in front of a hungry one and look weak enough, it will kill you and eat you."

Mothpaw's eyes widened, and she resisted the urge to press up against Robinheart for comfort.

Robinheart must have smelled Mothpaw's fear; she touched her forearm lightly with her fingers. "Don't worry," she reassured her. "We don't have any bears in the territory at the moment, and if we did, I wouldn't be taking you out right now, and strong warriors would chase it out. Did you know Wolfstar, the leader before Lionstar, killed a bear?"

"Did he do it alone?" Mothpaw asked, remembering Robinheart's distaste of Lionstar's killing of a moose.

"No, he didn't, thank StarClan," Robinheart replied, walking once more. Mothpaw followed. Robinheart stopped again, and Mothpaw bumped into her from behind.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"That's all right," she replied. "Let me teach you to use your bow. If there is a wolf in our territory, I don't want to come back and apologize to your father for letting a wolf get his daughter."

Mothpaw winced and pulled her bow out of the quiver, as well as an arrow. She reached awkwardly at first before yanking out an arrow, flushed at her lack of dignity. Robinheart twitched her whiskers, amused.

"It takes practice," she said lightly. "As does stringing and shooting." Robinheart strung her bow and was poised with an arrow within moments. Mothpaw gasped.

"Let me show you." Robinheart came over and grasped her wrists to guide her hands.

(^?^)

It took a few tries, but soon Mothpaw was stringing her bow and shooting arrows with nearly as much skill as Robinheart. Her aim was terrible; only Robinheart's quick reflexes had saved her from getting shot in the back.

"Be more careful," Robinheart spat. Mothpaw had almost convinced herself to never use a bow again, but Robinheart had quickly forgiven her.

Mothpaw cast out her senses, listening to the sounds of the forest and smelling each leaf and pawprint of prey. She gasped when she heard the scuffling of a squirrel in leaves.

"Let me get it," Robinheart hissed under her breath. The warrior deftly strung her bow with a whisper that could be heard as the wind in the trees. The squirrel was oblivious to the arrow aimed at it.

Robinheart stood frozen until the squirrel sat up to gnaw at a nut. Robinheart checked her aim, then let go of the arrow.

Her aim was true. It struck the squirrel straight through the belly, and blood oozed out as the squirrel squealed. It tried to run, but the arrow in its gut hindered it, and it finally keeled over and died.

Robinheart strode out to fetch her prey and lifted the squirrel by the scruff. "If I take that arrow out, it'll spurt all over the place," she muttered. "Best to leave it in. I'll take it out when the squirrel is prepared."

"Who prepares the food?" Mothpaw asked.

"Different warriors," she replied. "Some of the queens like to do it. Sometimes a neko who's caught something spectacular will at least be around…." She trailed off. "Deer."

Mothpaw pricked her ears. She heard a soft tread through the bushes, and suddenly a deer with two fuzzy knobs protruding from its head emerged warily from the trees. It fixed a liquid brown gaze on Mothpaw and Robinheart, and Mothpaw stood frozen, staring into its eyes. Everything seemed to be in slow motion.

She heard a whoosh of air from beside her, and she turned her head to see Robinheart stringing an arrow with blinding speed. She saw, as if underwater, Robinheart stumble from the slight backfire from the force of the arrow as if left the bow. The arrow swished through the air and embedded itself in the deer's lower neck with a soft thump. The deer staggered backwards, driven by the energy in the projectile. It fell to its knees, then tried to run. Mothpaw shrieked, unsheathing her knife and hurling it at the deer with all of her might.

It struck the deer in the back of the neck, right on the soft part beneath the skull; it had stumbled and almost laid down. Mothpaw gasped as her knife drove deep into the deer's neck. She watched as it keeled over, dead almost instantly.

Robinheart grinned at . Mothpaw hung back, afraid of this large animal. It was obviously a smaller one—a male, if Lionstar's accounts were correct—and it was young. She didn't want to look into the deer's eyes and find it still alive.

Robinheart paused, staring at the deer's sides. Mothpaw thought she detected a flutter of breath, and she almost choked on inhaled air as Robinheart bent and hefted the animal onto her back.

"Wait!" Mothpaw screeched. "It's still alive!"

Robinheart froze and elbowed the deer fiercely. Nothing happened. She gave Mothpaw a look. "Trust me, it's as dead as dead can be. Look at it. Deer don't eat meat, so it won't be eating anyone anytime soon."

Mothpaw peered into the deer's eyes. They were clouded and sightless.

"Okay," Mothpaw admitted. "Sorry."

Robinheart smiled. "Don't be. Good job with the knife. It would have gotten away. Besides, I've made the same mistake plenty of times. I remember one time, with my first apprentice. I didn't take him seriously and ended up with a live deer slung over my back!"

Mothpaw smiled at the image Robinheart's story conjured up. "Did it hurt?"

Robinheart shook her head. "No, Badgerpaw stabbed it in the throat before it kicked me to death. But it bled all over the back of my clothes all the way back to camp."

Mothpaw made a silly face. "Yuck." She paused. "What happened to Badgerpaw?"

Robinheart gazed at Mothpaw sadly. "Badgerpaw was killed by a bear."

"I'm sorry," Mothpaw murmured awkwardly.

"It's fine." Robinheart began walking off. "I'm taking this to camp. Come on! Don't forget the squirrel!"

(=^_^=)

Mothpaw and Robinheart deposited the deer and squirrel on the fresh-kill pile. The older woman pulled Mothpaw's knife out of the deer, wiped it off, and handed it to her before retrieving her own arrows.

Mothpaw traced the moth carved on it with a finger as Robinheart cleaned her arrows. She noticed a rough brown shape on the shafts that resembled a bird.

Lilyheart trotted up, smiling. "Did you catch those?" she asked, gesturing at the deer and squirrel.

"Robinheart caught the squirrel," Mothpaw replied shyly. "And the deer. But I threw my knife before the deer got away."

"Great job!" her mother exclaimed, grasping her head in her hands and planting a kiss on her forehead. Mothpaw smiled at the attention. She had forgotten; it was her prey!

"Let's go out in the forest again," Robinheart said. "I want to show you the borders before you get tired." Mothpaw bristled, but Robinheart went on. "Even the most experienced warriors run out of energy sooner or later."

"Okay," Mothpaw consented, following her mentor out of camp.

They headed for the BreezeClan border. Mothpaw pricked her ears as the forest thinned out. She didn't want to see a patrol.

Luck did not go her way. She heard hisses and snarls from up ahead. She made out the smells of BreezeClan, as well as Lionstar, Blizzardpaw, and Moonfoot. They were the border patrol; Mothpaw scented fresh LightningClan markers.

Mothpaw's tail bushed out as she smelled blood.

"Great StarClan!" Robinheart gasped, breaking into a run. Mothpaw treaded on her mentor's heel, slipping it out of the moccasin, but Robinheart was in such a rush that she simply hopped out of her shoe and kept running.

They soon burst out of the forest. The first thing Mothpaw noticed was the four wiry nekos facing the patrol from inside BreezeClan territory. Blizzardpaw stood a whisker from them, panting heavily. Mothpaw gasped when she saw fresh blood flowing from a deep slice on her forearm. It stained her white T-shirt red. Lionstar had a variety of small cuts. One of Moonfoot's pale hands was wrapped with fabric torn from the bottom of her shirt.

"Prey-stealers!" one of the BreezeClan cats hissed.

"I-I'm sorry!" Blizzardpaw stammered. "I d-didn't smell the m-markers!" She shuddered as a fresh flow of blood ran down her arm.

"That's no excuse!" a sturdy man with brown hair spat. "Attack!"

"Have you got fluff in your brains?"

Robinheart's outraged call split the air. She strode forward, glaring at the BreezeClan patrol.

"Can't you see she's just an apprentice? She didn't mean it! And you might kill someone if you attack again!"

"Accident or not," the neko growled, "she's on our territory. We are obliged to attack trespassers!"

"Oh, really?" Robinheart challenged. "Do those trespassers include apprentices a tail-length past the border?"

"Attack!" the neko repeated.

"Barkclaw!"

A call, sparking with fury, sounded form inside BreezeClan territory. A tall man with dark-brown-and-black hair appeared from behind a hill. His eyes blazed as he glared at the brown-haired man.

"They've already established that she's an apprentice! You attacked a patrol—with the Clan leader on it, I might add—just because an apprentice chased a squirrel a tail-length over the scent markers! I knew I made a mistake when I chose you as my deputy. You're as fit to lead BreezeClan as a fox is to lead rabbits!"

"Stormstar!" Barkclaw's face was red, and his ears were flattened at his leader's scathing remarks.

"Let the apprentice return to her own territory peacefully," Stormstar continued, "and _don't do this again_!"

Barkclaw backed up meekly, followed by his patrol, and Blizzardpaw shot off into LightningClan territory. The BreezeClan nekos then followed their leader deeper into their territory.

As soon as the patrol disappeared behind a ridge, Lionstar faced Robinheart and Mothpaw.

"Thank StarClan you came when you did," he stated, rubbing a deeper scratch. "Robinheart, that was brilliant. You have excellent negotiation skills."

Robinheart dipped her head, eyes shining.

Blizzardpaw padded up. "They would have shredded me!" she added. "That was the first time I've seen swords used for real. I really didn't smell the markers," she confessed. "All I could smell was squirrel." She smiled. "Thanks again!" She grimaced as the cut on her arm spurted more blood. Moonfoot unwound her own temporary bandage, exposing a nasty-looking cut, and bound it around Blizzardpaw's arm.

"Let's go back to camp," the woman said, tucking her injured hand in her shirt.

(=^x_x^=)

The sight of the wounded nekos caused an uproar in camp. All the nekos surrounded the patrol, asking questions. The crowd finally dispersed when Mosspaw and Iceberry came to check injuries. Only Lilyheart, Waterpaw, and Smokepaw remained.

"Are you okay, Mothpaw?" Mosspaw asked, eyes glowing in concern.

"I'm fine," Mothpaw assured her sister. "I didn't do any fighting."

Iceberry was checking Blizzardpaw's arm. As soon as she unbound it, blood spurted onto her clean white shirt. "Mosspaw! Fetch cobwebs and marigold! Now!" Mosspaw shot off to the medicine hut. "Waterpaw," the medicine neko continued tartly, "if you are just going to stand there, you might as well make yourself useful. Get some bandages from the medicine hut. Mosspaw will show you where they are." Waterpaw hurried off. "Smokepaw, why don't you go find some herbs with your mentor? Take Lilyheart with you."

Rainclaw strode over. "The sooner we find the herbs, the sooner we can heal everyone," he rumbled. Lilyheart and Smokepaw followed him as he headed out of camp.

Once the uproar had died down, Mothpaw sidled up to Robinheart. The woman was plucking splinters from her bare foot and wincing.

"Would you like me to get your moccasin for you?" Mothpaw offered.

Robinheart grimaced as a prod to a particularly deep twig caused blood to well up around it. "As soon as I get some dock," she muttered, "I'm going with you."

Mothpaw nodded. Robinheart seemed as gentle as her namesake, but she had a fiery heart. _Names can fit people so well_, Mothpaw noticed. _I wonder what my warrior name will be._

Mosspaw came over, her hands smeared with pulp. "Can I get you anything?" she asked Robinheart.

Robinheart nodded at the young girl. "I ran in the forest barefoot," she explained. "I was thinking dock, but what would you recommend?"

Mosspaw tilted her head. "I'm not sure," she confessed. "I know marigold prevents infection and dock soothes minor wounds. I don't know which to use."

Iceberry came over, her hair and clothes flecked with herb scraps. She held a pestle and mortar. The medicine neko gestured at Mosspaw to watch and knelt beside Robinheart.

"We need to wash this off," she said. "Have you done that, Robinheart?"

"Not yet," she admitted. "I wanted to get the splinters out."

Iceberry snorted to herself. "Okay. Did you get them all?" Without waiting for the warrior's answer, she ran her fingers over Robinheart's calloused foot. She plucked at a twig embedded in Robinheart's heel.

"Hey!" Robinheart grimaced.

"Hold still," Iceberry muttered. "It's really deep in there." She produced tweezers from a pocket and pulled out the splinter; it was long and sharp. Blood welled up where it had been. Robinheart growled and tried to snatch her foot away. Iceberry gripped the woman's ankle more firmly and bathed the wound with water poured from a jug offered by Mosspaw. Iceberry then dipped two fingers into the mortar beside her and smeared pulp onto a bandage in Mosspaw's outstretched hands. The apprentice placed it securely over the wound and patted it to make it stay.

"You're a good helper," Iceberry noted approvingly. Mosspaw smiled modestly.

Iceberry looked over Robinheart's foot and, finding no other serious wounds, washed the dust off of Robinheart's foot and offered her dock. The warrior accepted, commenting, "I feel like I stepped on a porcupine."

Mosspaw dipped her head to Robinheart as she passed her the dock and departed. Robinheart massaged the juices into her foot and flexed her toes experimentally.

"Okay," Robinheart said finally. "Let's go get my shoe."

The warrior limped out of camp. Mothpaw matched her pace as she followed. Robinheart scanned the forest briefly before heading confidently into the trees.

"How do you know where to go?" Mothpaw wondered in disbelief.

Robinheart paused and turned to Mothpaw. "Sniff the air," she instructed. "We don't have the best sense of smell, but we can follow scent trails fairly well and determine Clan from Clan."

Mothpaw sniffed and only smelled leaves and the smell of cooking meat from camp.

"Do it through your mouth at first," Robinheart advised. "That's where the scent glands are. Once you get older, you'll be able to recognize scents even through your nose."

Mothpaw obeyed and surprised herself with the world of scent. She smelled the familiar scent of LightningClan. She also noticed her own scent and that of Robinheart from ahead.

"That's our scent trail," Robinheart commented. "And I think my moccasin is nearby."

Mothpaw looked over the brush and saw a trail where the grass had been flattened by two pairs of running feet. One moccasin sat forlornly in the center of the path.

"There's my shoe," Robinheart said triumphantly.

"It's all alone," Mothpaw noticed, smiling wryly.

Robinheart slipped her foot into the shoe and flexed her foot. "It's not alone anymore. Even if it feels alone, it will never be alone." She blinked slowly. "Just like in a Clan."

**This chapter was 2,694 words. Too long? I found it fun to write. I had Robinheart growl on purpose. In people, growling is like a hostile grumble (or a growl :3). Please review! Was this chapter too long? I'd like to know! And was the Robinheart-splinter scene too much? I wanted to give more insight into their way of life and their basic anatomy. I initially had Iceberry use disinfectant, but then I realized that a) it would defeat the purpose of herbs and b) it's more of a human thing. REVIEW! Look at the awesome button and click!**

**~Mothstar**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Mothpaw padded over to the stump where the apprentices ate. She had gotten served from the stew bowl and was eager to eat.

Ashpaw lounged there, her elbow on the stump. Her gray-and-white hair seemed darker in the evening light. Mothpaw stifled a yawn as she flopped down next to the older apprentice.

"Tired?" Ashpaw asked, opening her yellow eyes and straightening herself.

"Yeah," Mothpaw mumbled, stuffing a mouthful of stew into her mouth. The warm, meaty flavors spread throughout her mouth pleasingly, but she was too tired to care if it was squirrel-and-deer stew or frog-and-snake stew. She swallowed and continued, "I got to hunt, see a fight, practice scenting, and rescue Firelight's kits from drowning."

Ashpaw gaped. "Really?"

Mothpaw grumbled to herself. Apparently the gossip hadn't reached her yet. "No. StreamClan did. StarClan knows how they ended up all the way across the territory. Mouse-brains! But," she continued, her tiredness forgotten momentarily, "Barkclaw and Freezetail were fighting."

"How did BreezeClan end up on StreamClan territory?"

Mothpaw wrinkled her nose. "I have no idea. They were pretending to be a border patrol. Don't ask me why. BreezeClan are rabbit-brains. But Freezetail was fighting with Barkclaw, and he slipped and fell into the stream."

"Oh, no!" Ashpaw exclaimed. "Did he get out?"

Mothpaw's head drooped. "No." The entire scene replayed in her mind: the white-haired woman lunging for the dark-brown-haired man, the man stepping back and slipping on the edge and falling in. She had wanted to cover her ears at Barkclaw's cries for help. Then she had turned away and listened, sickened, as Barkclaw's yells grew fainter and ended in a gurgling warble. "But the kits are alive," she insisted, half to herself, as she thrust the memory away.

Ashpaw put her hand comfortingly on Mothpaw's sagging shoulder. "Yes. And it's Barkclaw's own fault for being battle-hungry."

Mothpaw rubbed her eyes with one hand, forcing herself out of the past. "Where were you the whole day?"

Ashpaw rubbed her cloud-colored hair down with a hand. "I got to do battle training. I beat Emberpaw in a mock battle," she said, smiling. "He was so mad!" She giggled through her next words. "And then he—he tripped over his own tail and fell!"

Mothpaw couldn't hold back a smile at the image Ashpaw's words created. "He's going to get you someday."

Ashpaw smirked. "He already did. He pulled my hair when I wasn't looking." She huffed out air through her nose. "Not the best get-back, but you guys were just made apprentices today."

Mothpaw nodded, not entirely understanding the way the older apprentice was thinking. She finished her stew as Ashpaw chatted. Mosspaw came over to join them with her own stew. Mothpaw wished she was awake enough to talk, but Robinheart had worked her hard.

"I'm going to bed," she announced, standing up.

"I'll come," Willowpaw replied, standing up and putting her hands on her lower back as she stretched. "There are two huts, and I think neither of us wants you to walk into the boys' hut by accident."

Mothpaw nodded and followed the pale-brown-haired young woman as they deposited their bowls in the sunken stump that served as a place for dirty dishes. Leopardpelt was washing dishes on a rock nearby; a stream had been channeled to run through this part of camp. It was on the edges of the camp, so only extreme flooding would endanger the camp.

Willowpaw went back over to the apprentices' stump and headed past it and into the hut on the left. Mothpaw trailed behind, uneasy but willed on by fatigue.

The hut was spotlessly clean. One wall was lined with bunk beds, the other with dressers. Acornfur was folding laundry at the far wall. She looked up, surprised, at the girls' entrance.

"Hi, Mothpaw," she called. "I'm just putting away the last of these. You'll have it all to yourselves in a few minutes."

"'Kay," Willowpaw called back. To Mothpaw she said, "The warriors made us clean this 'til it shined. Usually it's messier. Acornfur, you never used to fold laundry!"

Acornfur made a face. "I was bored, and I wanted the hut to make a good impression on Mothpaw."

"It did," Mothpaw noted admiringly. The walls were bare save a mirror in a space between the two centermost dressers. Mirrors were not common among the Clans; StreamClan or DarkClan usually found them among the No-tail-places that were nearby. Trading at Gatherings happened mostly in times of peace and scarcely even then. The mirror had been there when Lilyheart had been an apprentice. Carelessly breaking a mirror was scorned; Mothpaw skirted its spot as she walked across the hut. Hampers, empty now, were positioned strategically at the back foot of each bunk bed. Willowpaw paced back to close the door and almost slammed it on her sister Ashpaw's face.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed.

Ashpaw growled in a friendly way and pushed Willowpaw into the wall. They fought each other off with deliberately soft blows. Mothpaw gasped at the muscles rippling beneath each young woman's skin. They would make great warriors.

"Anyone else coming?" Willowpaw called out the door.

Mosspaw poked her head in. "I'm sleeping in the medicine hut," she said, "and Iceberry says to settle down and shush! We can hear you from the hut!"

Ashpaw's fair face flushed. "Sorry," she replied in an exaggerated whisper. Mosspaw raised her eyebrows and said good night before closing the door.

"Right," Acornfur said. "I'm done here. Don't forget to tell her everything. I'll be leaving. Good night!"

"'Night, Acornfur," Mothpaw called as the woman left.

As soon as the door closed, Willowpaw got down to business. "Right," the young woman said. "Ashpaw and I sleep on that bunk." She pointed to the second bunk along the wall. "Ashpaw's scared of heights, so I have to sleep on the top."

"I fell out of Dawnpetal's bed when I was a kit!" Ashpaw protested.

"And you were in her bed because you were scared of the dark!" Willowpaw retorted.

"I had a bad dream!"

A sharp rap at the door made all three girls jump. Willowpaw crept to the door and put her ear to it. "Who is it?"

"Sparrowpaw! Open up or shut up, Willowpaw!"

Ashpaw giggled, and Willowpaw rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you guys better be quieter than us!"

"'Night!"

The girls waited until Sparrowpaw's footsteps faded before continuing their introduction of the hut.

"These are dressers," Ashpaw said, gesturing at the dressers lining the wall. "Each dresser has different sizes of clothes, except for the center one, which is tailored to fit."

Mothpaw nodded.

Willowpaw walked over to one of the hampers and looked into it. "These are hampers for dirty clothes. We usually change twice a day, once into our day-clothes and once into our nightclothes. We also have some skirts in the bottom drawers of each dresser. Usually we wear these—" She tugged on her own shorts. "—but sometimes, like when we go to Gatherings, we wear skirts. Medicine nekos, queens, and elders wear skirts a lot. In fact, I've only seen Iceberry out of a skirt once."

Mothpaw continued to nod, yawning.

"Underwear and socks are in these drawers," Ashpaw continued, opening and closing the top drawer of a nearby dresser. "Next are nightclothes. Then shirts and shorts, and in the bottom, skirts." She scanned Mothpaw. "And I think you'd be about this size," she said, walking to a dresser at the end of the row and opening the second drawer. "C'mon, let's go to bed."

Z…=^—.—^=

"Up and at 'em, girls!"

Mothpaw moaned as the door opened a crack, beaming a shaft of light directly onto her face. Blueleaf was at the door and, noticing Mothpaw's discomfort, opened it fully.

"Turn it off!" Ashpaw yelped from the next bed, clutching at the covers to block the light.

Blueleaf chuckled. "You can't turn off the sun, mouse-brain. Come on. We've got lots to do today!"

Ashpaw feigned an agonized groan and rolled out of bed and onto the dirt floor. "Willowpaw," she called from the ground. "Get up."

"'M up," her sister mumbled from the top bunk.

Ashpaw banged on the pole nearest her, causing the bed to shake and eliciting a cry from above.

"Get up!" Mothpaw hollered, somewhat awake.

"Sheesh," Willowpaw grumbled, climbing down. "You can't tell me what to do."

Mothpaw flushed, mortified.

"Don't worry," Ashpaw told her softly. "Willowpaw always seems to wake up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I've only been here for a moon and she's the crankiest one here," Blizzardpaw added.

"When we're warriors," Willowpaw grunted, beginning to undress, "I'm going to make you sleep on the top bunk."

"We might not sleep in the same bed," Ashpaw pointed out, going to a dresser.

"Still," Willowpaw muttered mutinously, snatching the shorts that Ashpaw slung over her shoulder.

"Hey!" Ashpaw protested. "That was mine!"

"It's mine now," Willowpaw replied smugly, slipping quickly out of her nightclothes and into her day-clothes with practiced ease. She looked at Mothpaw and blushed. "Stop staring!"

"_I'm_ staring," Blizzardpaw pointed out with a smirk.

"You're older." Willowpaw turned away from Mothpaw to take off her shirt. Mothpaw muttered an apology as she headed for the dresser of her size.

"It's fine," Willowpaw replied from across the room. "We're denmates. But next time, don't stare!"

=P_P-

Dressed and armed with their knives and bows, all four girls left the hut and reported to Blueleaf.

"We're here," Ashpaw said.

The blue-gray-haired woman turned around. "Good, good," she replied approvingly. "Are you ready for you assignments for today?"

Mothpaw's stomach rumbled. She grimaced as the older girls looked at her in amusement.

"I think so," Willowpaw answered, grinning. "The sooner we hunt, the sooner we can eat."

Mothpaw grumbled under her breath as her stomach protested. Blueleaf smiled sympathetically.

"Once you four go hunting, you can eat."

Mothpaw nodded, willing her growling belly to be quiet.

"You can hunt together or alone. When all four of you bring back prey, you can eat breakfast."

"Great!" Ashpaw cheered. "I'm starving!"

"Let's go!" Blizzardpaw agreed.

Willowpaw led them into the forest and opened her mouth to draw in the scents. Mothpaw copied her, pleased with herself for recognizing several of the scents.

"Deer," she said aloud just as Willowpaw noted, "A deer passed by here yesterday." They looked at each other, and Mothpaw said hastily, "You're in charge."

"Yeah," Willowpaw agreed, smirking faintly. "You've only been an apprentice for a day." She smelled the air again. "It's probably deeper into the territory by now. Want to go see if it's still here?"

"Sure," Ashpaw replied, and Mothpaw nodded.

Willowpaw sniffed the air once more and headed deeper into the forest, following a winding trail that made Mothpaw's head spin as she tried to keep up with the scents. Finally, Willowpaw came to a sudden stop as the forest thinned out.

"We're at the Gathering hollow," she called back. "It got a drink here and headed into StreamClan territory." She sniffed, confused, and inhaled deeply through her mouth.

"Do you smell that?" she asked, turning around.

Ashpaw and Mothpaw breathed deeply. Mothpaw winced as a musky, woody scent hit her scent glands. It was unlike anything she had smelled before, of green growth and pines and thick fur.

Ashpaw's face lit up. "It's a moose!" When Mothpaw and Willowpaw looked at her for explanation, she continued, "I went hunting once, a moon or so ago, and ran into a huge deer with the body of a bear and antlers like branches. It was a moose. It tried to charge me, but Rainclaw killed it before it killed me."

"Thank StarClan for that," a voice replied.

Mothpaw turned to see a patrol along the StreamClan border. Ashpaw and Willowpaw sniffed to see if they were still within LightningClan borders. When they confirmed their legality, they positioned themselves strategically as to protect each other and, Mothpaw noted with distaste, Mothpaw.

The lead neko, a woman with long pinky-red hair, held up her hands to show her empty palms. "I mean no harm," she said. "If you don't remember, I saved three kits of your Clan the other day."

Mothpaw's brain whirled as she tried to recall the woman's name. The woman twitched her whiskers and looked directly at Mothpaw. "I'm Rosewillow."

"Ah!" The name clicked in her mind. Mothpaw dipped her head. "I'm Mothpaw. Thank you for saving Firelight's kits yesterday."

Rosewillow blushed modestly. "It was nothing."

The man behind her, a well-muscled, dark-tanned man with black-and-brown hair, spoke. "Rosewillow," he declared gruffly, "we have better things to do than standing around talking to apprentices. This is a border patrol, if you remember." That said, he turned and, with a flick of his wrist, sprayed the contents of a bottle onto a bush. He glowered at the three LightningClan nekos. Willowpaw met his stare levelly and, keeping his gaze, removed a bottle from a pouch on her waist and sprayed the same bush.

Rosewillow nudged the man. "Stop stirring up trouble, Frogclaw," she told him.

Frogclaw scowled at her and pocketed the bottle, glaring at Willowpaw. The apprentice tucked the bottle back into its pouch and gave the warrior a faint, wry smile. He bared his teeth at her and hissed. Rosewillow nudged him again and he followed her along the border, looking back to sneer at the apprentices.

Ashpaw scoffed. "He's got a head full of air."

Frogclaw caterwauled and launched across the stream marking the border, tackling Ashpaw. Her yellow eyes were wide as she yowled, kicking fiercely. He brought sharpened nails to her throat and pricked the fair skin.

"Now," he growled dangerously, "are you going to take that back?"

Ashpaw gulped and nodded. The warrior dug in his nails for a heartbeat before rising and striding across the border with more dignity than Mothpaw thought she could muster. He shrugged off Rosewillow's chastises and looked Mothpaw straight in the eye.

"LightningClan's full of know-it-alls and know-nothings," he rumbled. "BreezeClan are cowards and unfit to be a Clan. DarkClan's worthless, full of empty threats and shadows. One day, the whole forest will answer to StreamClan."

**Thank you for reading! Please review! Critique and encouragement are greatly welcomed!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Mothpaw!"

Mothpaw grumbled under her breath as her stag-killing dream vanished from her mind. "What is it, Robinheart?" she called.

"Come down and get ready."

"Fine," Mothpaw muttered, rolling out of bed.

She dressed quickly, careful not to wake Ashpaw, Blizzardpaw, and Willowpaw as they slept. She slipped into her day-clothes and slung her quiver over her back. She walked out of the hut as she fastened her knife to her waist.

"Robinheart?" she called, her voice echoing in the dawn newleaf fog.

"Over here."

Mothpaw followed her scent and voice and came to her mentor sitting on a log bench. "What are we doing today?" Mothpaw asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"You're going on the dawn patrol."

This was her second dawn patrol since she had become an apprentice two moons ago. On her first, she had come to dislike them. "Are you coming?"

Robinheart shook her head, her eyes showing an emotion Mothpaw didn't recognize. "I'm not going to be mentoring you anymore."

Mothpaw raised her eyes, surprised. "Why not? Are you in trouble?"

Robinheart smiled brightly. "No." She leaned in to whisper to Mothpaw. "I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant!" Mothpaw exclaimed the word. She lowered her voice. "Who's the father?" she asked, excited.

"Pinetail," Robinheart replied proudly. The two had been mates for some time, but this was Robinheart's first pregnancy.

Mothpaw beamed. "Great! Does he know yet?"

Robinheart shook her head again, looking over Mothpaw's shoulder. "He soon will."

Robinheart rose and padded into the fog. Mothpaw tasted the air and smelled Pinetail, his scent warm with sleep. She heard hushed whispers, muffled by the fog and morning air, and Pinetail's jubilant yowl after the news was told. Mothpaw smiled. Kits were a good thing in the Clan. Her heart beat faster as she thought, _Will I have kits someday? _Her thoughts flitted to Waterpaw and Sparrowpaw; she blushed as she imagined these handsome young men. She didn't know why Blizzardpaw mooned over Twigwhisker. He was thin as his namesake.

She had a sudden thought. "Robinheart," she called, "who will be my mentor?"

"Pebblewhisker," the woman replied. "Eat something. You want to be awake for the dawn patrol." When she hesitated, Robinheart added, "You'll be hunting today anyway."

Mothpaw thanked her and fetched herself some leftover stew. It was cold, but she scooped it from the bottom, closer to the smoldering embers. On a whim, she banked the fire and rekindled it.

After the fire flared up, a gust of wind dissipated the fog and showed the camp more beautifully than Mothpaw had ever seen it. The sun peeped over the horizon, peering through the trees and sending fingers of warmth to the heart of LightningClan territory. Birds twittered as they fluffed out their feathers in the thin sunbeams. An owl hooted in annoyance as the sun brought an abrupt end to its nighttime antics. The kits were stirring, anxious to see the activity as the forest awakened. Birchfoot came out of the elders' hut, followed by Willowtail. The elderly woman came over to Mothpaw.

"Good morning, little one," she rasped.

Mothpaw dipped her head. "Good morning, Willowtail," she replied. "Would you like some stew?"

Willowtail shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I'm going to wait until the hunting patrols go out and bring back warm meat." She eyed the fire approvingly. "Great initiative, young one. It's not every day I see an apprentice with that."

Mothpaw smiled, inclining her head again. "T-thank you!"

Willowtail winked. "Not a problem, Mothpaw."

Willowtail departed. Splashkit, five moons old, emerged from the nursery. Mothpaw watched out of the corner of her eye as he padded over to the men's warrior hut and listened intently. Then he ran over to Mothpaw, eyes wide.

"Mothpaw!" he whispered. "Pebblewhisker's coming!"

"Mouse dung!" Mothpaw hissed. She shoved a mouthful of stew into her mouth and another as the sturdy gray-haired warrior came out of the hut. He strode over and eyed Mothpaw gulping down stew.

"Good," he rumbled. "Finish up. We're leaving soon." He looked at his son. "Good morning, Splashkit. Did you wake up your mother?"

Splashkit widened his eyes innocently. "She was already awake!" he protested.

Pebblewhisker smiled and rubbed Splashkit's brown hair. "Try to let her sleep next time," he said. "And if you're going to use that as an excuse to sneak out of the nursery without permission, nice try."

"Mouse dung!" Splashkit grumbled.

"Go back to the nursery," Pebblewhisker told him. Splashkit began walking off, then turned back and waved at Mothpaw. "Bye, Mothpaw," he said shyly, darting off before Mothpaw could reply.

Pebblewhisker's whiskers twitched; Mothpaw wondered what he was amused about. The warrior served himself some stew and ate hungrily. Mothpaw did the same.

After they finished, Pebblewhisker fetched Moonfoot. "Go get Blizzardpaw," he instructed. "We're going soon."

"Okay," she replied, heading for the apprentices' hut. She opened the door a crack. "Blizzardpaw! Dawn patrol!"

"Fox dung," Blizzardpaw muttered. "Can I send Ashpaw? We can, like, put snow on her hair…or something."

Mothpaw laughed. "That wouldn't work. There's no snow left. Moonfoot and Pebblewhisker are waiting. Hurry up!"

"Coming," Blizzardpaw mumbled noncommittally. Mothpaw huffed and stormed in, heading for the third bunk bed where Blizzardpaw slept. Sure enough, she had dozed off already.

"Wake up!" Mothpaw hollered, leaning close to the girl's ear.

Blizzardpaw shrieked and lashed out at Mothpaw. Mothpaw yelled as her sharpened nails dug into her cheek. "Get off!"

Blizzardpaw leapt to her knees and smacked Mothpaw on the cheek. Mothpaw staggered back, clutching at her face.

"That's a nice way to wake up," Willowpaw said approvingly. "Beating up Mothpaw."

"That hurt!" Mothpaw protested, pressing harder as she felt warm blood. "I'm bleeding!"

"You kind of deserved it," Ashpaw noted, smirking.

"Look, you woke everyone up," Blizzardpaw complained.

"Did not!" Mothpaw argued. "If you hadn't smacked me, they would have gone back to sleep!"

"Girls!"

All four girls turned to look guiltily at the door. Moonfoot stood there, blue eyes flashing.

"You woke up half the camp!" she snapped.

"Oops." Blizzardpaw's widened eyes were leaf-green. "Sorry, Moonfoot."

Moonfoot's gaze traveled the room, meeting the stares of the other apprentices.

"Sorry," Willowpaw muttered from the top bunk.

Ashpaw got out of the bottom bunk to dip her head apologetically to the warrior. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Mothpaw hung her head. "Sorry."

"Good." Moonfoot looked at the girls. "Now that you're all up, you can get ready. Willowpaw, Ashpaw, you can go on a hunting patrol."

"At dawn?" Willowpaw asked incredulously.

"At dawn," Moonfoot replied firmly. "Blizzardpaw, you're going on the dawn patrol with Pebblewhisker, Mothpaw, and I. Twigwhisker was going to come, but now he's not."

Blizzardpaw sighed heavily. "I'll get ready."

"Be quick about it," Moonfoot ordered. "Mothpaw, come on."

Mothpaw's head drooped, and she clutched at the back of her neck with her left hand, letting the rest of her arm hang. "I'm really sorry about that," she apologized. "I shouldn't have yelled in her face." _Though it's her fault for not getting up!_

Moonfoot turned to Mothpaw, sympathy in her eyes. "It's fine," she assured her, placing her pale hand on Mothpaw's left forearm. "I did the same thing, many times, when I was an apprentice." She twitched her whiskers. "I never learned. Wolfstar wanted to confine me to camp, but that wouldn't help much. So he made me sleep in the nursery for a moon!"

Mothpaw winced. "How long did you last?"

Moonfoot smirked. "Robinheart and Redpelt had just been born. I woke up every two hours when they cried for milk! I lasted a quarter moon!"

"Did he make you stay?"

Moonfoot laughed. "No! He ended the punishment a few days later. And thank StarClan for that!"

Blizzardpaw, Willowpaw, and Ashpaw emerged from the apprentices' hut, sleepy but dressed. Blizzardpaw headed over to Mothpaw and Moonfoot. Ashpaw's mentor Applepelt and Willowpaw's mentor Mouseclaw were there, ready to hunt. The sisters sighed and went to them.

"Let's go," Pebblewhisker said. Now that he was down to business, the warrior did not seem so formidable. Respect for Pebblewhisker washed over her. She would try to be a good apprentice.

He led them to the StreamClan border first. The dawn patrol had already passed. Pebblewhisker inhaled deeply and confirmed that no one had crossed the border.

The BreezeClan border was quiet. Overlapping BreezeClan scents hovered around, but they were all in BreezeClan territory.

As they trekked across the territory to check the border between LightningClan and the land beyond, Mothpaw sniffed and stopped dead, her tail bushed out. A scent of rotting meat and trees reached her nose.

Moonfoot had stopped as well, pushing Mothpaw and Blizzardpaw backwards hard enough to make them stumble. "Bear!" she yelped.

Pebblewhisker unsheathed his knife, and Moonfoot had already drawn and strung her bow. The arrow she held ready was more of a spear, long and deadly.

"Yell for help," Pebblewhisker ordered grimly as a huge brown shape crashed out of the undergrowth.

"Help! LightningClan! Bear!" Mothpaw yelled. Blizzardpaw followed suit.

The bear was huge, its berry-sized black eyes glinting with a feral fierceness that scared Mothpaw into screaming herself hoarse. This was a hungry bear. Its pelt hung loosely over its gaunt body. It would be more than happy to fight the four nekos to the death to fulfill its hunger.

The bear charged at Pebblewhisker. Moonfoot released her arrow and it whizzed through the air, embedding itself in the bear's haunch. The bear roared and turned towards Moonfoot, standing terrified with an unstrung bow.

"Help!" Blizzardpaw yelled hoarsely.

Mothpaw held her breath for a heartbeat, expecting Lionstar or perhaps Falconpelt to burst out of the undergrowth with an unsheathed sword, but fantasies only happen in stories. Instead, the bear heard Blizzardpaw's yell and turned toward her, eyes shining in anticipation of a meal.

Blizzardpaw shrieked and tried to take her bow out of the quiver. While she was distracted, the bear charged and clouted her on the shoulder, the one that had been injured by Barkclaw two moons ago. Blood spurted out and sprayed the bear's face. It flinched as blood entered its eyes, but it swiped its tongue around its muzzle with obvious pleasure.

"It's going to eat us!" Blizzardpaw shrieked, clutching at her bleeding arm and hurrying backwards.

Mothpaw narrowed her eyes and unsheathed her knife. She was terrified, but the bear wasn't paying any attention to her. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. Fear pulsed in her throat, but she pushed it down, searching for a thought that would give her strength._ What would Waterpaw do?_

Mothpaw looked around. The bear was too big for her to attack straight-on. She had her knife and bow, but what good would those do? She scanned the area. They were in a clearing in a cluster of trees. She sniffed and surprised herself with the scent of marigold. The herb grew in a hollow where four fairly thin oak trees joined. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She had an idea.

She crept around the clearing and behind Pebblewhisker, who had the bear's total attention. It looked over Pebblewhisker's shoulder and almost saw Mothpaw, but the warrior dealt a fierce blow to the bear's muzzle. It bellowed and renewed its attack.

Mothpaw came to the trees and climbed around the back of them, pushing against two of the trees with her body between. She moved to the front pair of trees with some difficulty, almost crushing the marigold. She thanked StarClan as she regained her balance, both for helping her stay alive and not release the marigold's scent as well as not crushing the marigold. The Clan would need it if they survived the bear.

She pushed herself a bit higher up the trees. Moonfoot, bleeding from the side of her neck, was battling the bear with her knife. Pebblewhisker was unconscious at the base of an oak; Blizzardpaw had ripped his shirt to bandage her wound and now guarded him viciously.

Mothpaw yelled and launched off of the tree. Moonfoot gasped. "No, Mothpaw!"

It was too late. The bear roared as she crashed into it. It barely staggered; the bulk of thick fur and solid muscle would not be easily moved. Then it shook her off. Mothpaw yelled as she was hurled across the clearing. The bear charged at her, drool and foam at its mouth. Mothpaw closed her eyes.

She opened them suddenly as the bear bellowed, not in triumph, but in pain. Waterpaw had swung from a tree, hitting the bear squarely on the head. Now he stabbed at its back viciously, a knife in each hand.

The bear bellowed in protest and pain, but Waterpaw did not let up. Now Mothpaw noticed Sparrowpaw at the rear of the beast. He had ripped Moonfoot's arrow-spear from the bear's flesh and was stabbing the bear with it. Mothpaw got to her feet and located her knife a tail-length away. She rose quickly, darted, and fetched it before the bear could take advantage of her distraction. Then she attacked.

She focused on the bear's huge neck; its head was turned away from her. She hurried in, wielding her knife with clumsy enthusiasm, and barely got through the thick fur before the bear turned on her. It bared its teeth and lunged for her throat. Mothpaw shrieked and ducked beneath the deadly jaws. It recovered faster than she did, and as she flinched, it swiftly struck her in the gut with a clawed paw.

Mothpaw felt as if everything was underwater. She heard her "hfff" of air as she recoiled from the blow. She felt the bear's claws rip out of her flesh. Her head pounded in rhythm with her heart as blood flowed out of the wound. Her head spun as she looked down at her blood-soaked shirt. She was also aware of burning energy inside of her, spurring her on to kill the bear and protect her Clanmates, even if she lost her life. _Is this how a Clan leader feels?_

She took the knife and, in one quick motion, plunged her knife deep into the bear's neck. It had been poised to bite Mothpaw's throat while she was still stunned, and its neck was unprotected. It stared at her, black eyes blazing in rage, as its life flowed out of it. The eyes quickly lost their fire, and soon it collapsed and died.

Sparrowpaw pumped his fist victoriously. "Yes!" he whooped. "We killed a bear!"

"And almost died," Pebblewhisker rasped. He had regained consciousness and joined the fighting. Now his legs buckled beneath him, and he lowered himself into a sitting position leaning against the tree.

"Let's get Iceberry," Waterpaw told Sparrowpaw. His eyes never left Mothpaw. "We're going to need medical help."

**Word count: 2,471. In case you're not aware, these chapters are likely to get longer! Please review and tell me how long is too long!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Mothpaw! Wake up!"

"Urgh." Mothpaw sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What?" Her face felt gritty and hot, as if she had slept on sand. Her gut burned where the bear had clawed her.

"You slept in on a nap. It's sundown. One hunt and you're out of it!" As she grew more awake, she recognized Blizzardpaw's voice. "Willowpaw and her siblings passed their final assessments, and the kits are becoming apprentices today. I think you should be awake for this."

"'Kay," she replied, climbing out of bed.

She got dressed quickly, wincing as her shirt brushed the bandages. Still feeling hot, she lingered in the hut for a bit before leaving.

She was just in time. Lionstar stood in the center of the clearing. As she arrived, he called, "Let all nekos old enough to catch their own prey gather!"

Much of the Clan was already present, but the remainder gathered at his call. When everyone was there, Lionstar spoke.

"LightningClan may face trials, but it defeats each and grows stronger. Now three apprentices are ready to be warriors. Sparrowpaw, Willowpaw, and Ashpaw have passed their final assessments. Am I correct?"

Stonewhisker, Mouseclaw, and Applepelt, the respective mentors of the apprentices, agreed.

Lionstar lifted his gaze to the darkening sky. "I, Lionstar, leader of LightningClan, call upon StarClan to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to honor the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He beckoned Sparrowpaw forward and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Sparrowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

"I do," he replied.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sparrowpaw, you shall be known as Sparrowflight. StarClan honors your determination and your skill in combat, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Sparrowflight placed his own hand over Lionstar's and bowed his head respectfully.

"Willowpaw." The young woman came forward, eyes sparkling. Lionstar placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

"I do," she vowed.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Willowpaw, you shall be known as Willowfern. StarClan honors your abilities and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Willowfern's eyes flashed when he said "loyalty," as if it held some deeper meaning for her. "Thank you, Lionstar," she whispered, placing her hand over his and bowing her head.

"Ashpaw." She flounced forward, retrieving her dignity at the last second before Lionstar placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

If Ashpaw was uncomfortable in any way, it was not obvious; she was bursting with pride. "I do," she promised.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Ashpaw, you shall be known as Ashcloud. StarClan honors your kindness and your fairness, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

"Sparrowflight! Willowfern! Ashcloud!" Mothpaw added her voice to the jubilant yells welcoming the warriors. Lionstar joined in, then calmed everyone with a wave of his hand.

"I have one more ceremony to perform. We have a surprising number of kits ready to become apprentices. I'll start with the kits of Falconpelt and Firelight. Scorchkit, Brackenkit, Nightkit, come forward."

The three obeyed, fidgeting nervously. Scorchkit had his brave face on, Brackenkit's tail was bushed out, and Nightkit's unease was betrayed by one askew ear.

"Scorchkit." Lionstar approached the red-brown-haired boy. "From this day forward you shall be known as Scorchpaw. Russetfang." The dark-red-haired man came forward. "You shall mentor Scorchpaw."

"I am honored, Lionstar," the man replied, shaking hands with Scorchpaw. The new apprentice followed his mentor happily to the edge of the clearing.

"Brackenkit." The gold-black-haired girl skipped forward. "From this day forward you shall be known as Brackenpaw. Willowfern, I would like you to mentor Brackenpaw." Willowfern stepped forward, eyes wide. "I trust in your capability, and I think you would be an excellent mentor to young Brackenpaw."

"I will do my best," Willowfern murmured, shaking hands with Brackenpaw.

"Nightkit, from this day forward you shall be known as Nightpaw. Floodfang." The light-brown-haired man came forward. "You will mentor Nightpaw. You are a valuable asset to the Clan, and I expect you to make Nightpaw one as well."

"I will," Floodfang replied, shaking Nightpaw's hand.

"Next, I'd like the kits of Pebblewhisker and Leopardpelt to come forward. Sunkit, Splashkit, Flowerkit, that means you."

The three came forward.

"Sunkit, from this day forward you shall be known as Sunpaw. Falconpelt, I ask that you mentor Sunpaw."

The deputy came forward, surprised. "I will make him a warrior you'll be proud of, Lionstar."

The brazen golden-haired boy looked unusually timid as he shook hands with the deputy.

"Splashkit, from this day forward you shall be known as Splashpaw. Pinetail, you did a marvelous job mentoring Twigwhisker and Redpelt, and I hope you will do as good a job with Splashpaw."

Pinetail dipped his head at Lionstar's praise and shook hands with Splashpaw.

"Flowerkit. From this day forward you shall be known as Flowerpaw. Blueleaf." The blue-gray-haired warrior came forward. "You had one apprentice, but she chose to follow another path." Out of the corner of her eye, Mothpaw noticed Iceberry grinning sheepishly. "Despite that, you mentored her well. Do the same with Flowerpaw."

"Thank you, Lionstar," Blueleaf replied, shaking hands with Flowerpaw.

"Dismissed!"

The meeting broke up. Mothpaw yawned; her nap had not helped her drowsiness. "You think we should show them the hut?" she murmured to Blizzardpaw.

"Nah," the older apprentice replied. "They're so full of energy, they wouldn't stay."

"I'm going back to bed," Mothpaw mumbled, stumbling back towards the hut.

"You want something to eat?" Blizzardpaw called after her. "You haven't eaten since breakfast."

"No thanks, I'm not hungry."

Blizzardpaw shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Mothpaw pushed open the door to see Robinheart neatening up. The woman's belly was already swelling, signaling her pregnancy. "Hi, Mothpaw," she said. "You look tired."

"Yeah," Mothpaw replied, flopping into her bed. She was glad she had chosen a bottom bunk; she was too tired to climb. She pulled the covers up to her chin but kicked them away moments later. _I'm so hot. But it's cold in here._

"You okay, Mothpaw?"

She was asleep before she could answer.

She opened her eyes a few seconds later. _I thought I just fell asleep!_

"Oh."

She wasn't really awake. She was dreaming. And she was in water. Despite the duckweed that clung to her sin, it felt cool and relaxing after feeling hot and fatigued. She treaded water as she looked for the bank; she didn't want to be caught in the middle of the pond when she got tired. To her relief, the pond was fairly small. She kicked out and paddled to the bank.

As she neared the bank, she noticed a frog squatting at the edge of the reeds. A wry smile tugged at one corner of her mouth. The frog was the size of her father if he crouched. Mothpaw shivered, amusement gone. _And just as muscular._

Soon the water was shallow enough for her to put her feet down. The sand squished up between her toes, smooth and without pebbles.

The bank was too steep to climb except for a narrow strip of gently sloping ground. The frog crouched at the top of this slope. With a shudder, Mothpaw noticed its gleaming cat eyes.

Suddenly Mothpaw slipped. She gasped and put her arms out to catch herself. Her hands slid down the slope until she caught onto a jutting rock. She attempted to put her feet down, but the sand was no longer there.

"You're falling." The frog's voice was a guttural croak.

"Yes," Mothpaw gasped. "Can you help me?"

The frog opened its mouth and let out a bloodcurdling, maniacal cackle. "Help you?" it boomed. "When I come to power, there will be no room for pity in my reign."

"No!" Mothpaw breathed. The rock was coming loose. "Please!"

"Do I have to repeat myself?" it demanded. Its eyes narrowed to tiny, burning slits.

"StarClan help me!" Mothpaw shrieked, scrabbling frantically as the rock began to pull loose.

"When I come to power," the frog whispered dangerously, "StarClan will not be able to save you."

Mothpaw screamed as the frog drew back one forefoot. The toes were long and tipped with claws. The frog cackled again and brought the foot down hard on her right forearm.

Pain, not imaginary, lanced through her gut. Blood spurted from the wound on her forearm. Her gut and arm throbbed in unison, and she cried out as she slid down the bank and into the deep water.

She was underwater and sinking by the second. The frog's evil laughter echoed in her mind. As darkness clouded her vision, she saw a gray-haired muscular male figure in the water. His yellow eyes met hers, and a voice sounded in her head as she blacked out.

"_Beware the frog in the stream that will bring destruction to the whole forest. Only the moth in the meadow can save the Clans."_

**Word count: 1,584**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Mothpaw woke with a start. Her arm ached where the frog had struck her, and her gut burned unbearably. She was so hot. The bandages across her stomach were itchy and soaked with sweat. Gasping in fevered pain, she rolled off of the bed and onto the dirt floor. Dust caked on her sweaty limbs. She scrabbled feebly at her bandages, panting.

"Mothpaw?" That was Flowerpaw from the top bunk.

Mothpaw moaned.

Flowerpaw climbed down and leaned over Mothpaw. The white patches in the younger apprentice's hair seemed to glow and made Mothpaw dizzy.

"Are you all right?"

Mothpaw moaned again. "I'm so hot…."

Flowerpaw put her hand on Mothpaw's forehead and gasped. "You _are_ hot!" She looked up and raised her voice. "I think Mothpaw's sick!"

Blizzardpaw sat up in the bottom bunk of the third bed. "Huh?" she mumbled.

"Mothpaw's sick," she repeated.

Blizzardpaw tumbled out of bed and hurried to Mothpaw's side. She felt her forehead and then her belly. Mothpaw screeched as her gentle fingers touched her bandaged belly. She clawed fiercely but feebly at Blizzardpaw's hands.

"Don't kill me," Blizzardpaw said, surprised. "Flowerpaw, go get Iceberry. I'll stay with her."

Flowerpaw nodded tensely and scampered off. Blizzardpaw pulled up Mothpaw's shirt halfway, exposing the bandages to the cool night air. Mothpaw sighed at the sensation.

"Is that better?" Blizzardpaw asked. Mothpaw nodded; the motion made her feel dizzy again.

"She's here," Flowerpaw panted as she entered.

Iceberry crouched next to Blizzardpaw. "Symptoms?"

Blizzardpaw put her finger to her chin. "Fever, I'd guess, and I think her injury hurts."

Iceberry felt Mothpaw's forehead. "Fever," she agreed grimly. "Flowerpaw, wake Mosspaw and ask for feverfew."

Flowerpaw darted off again.

Iceberry touched her belly gently. Mothpaw cried out.

"I thought it was healing," Iceberry mused. She pressed slightly on the four puncture wounds. Mothpaw howled, tears forming at her eyes.

"I need to get her to the medicine hut," Iceberry said tensely. "I think her wounds are infected."

Mothpaw stared at Iceberry as the medicine neko leaned over her.

"You can't stay here," she informed her. "You need to go to the medicine hut."

"I'll help you," Blizzardpaw offered as Iceberry tugged on one of Mothpaw's arms. The two white-haired girls dragged Mothpaw to her feet. Together they pulled Mothpaw across the clearing and into the medicine hut. Mothpaw's nose twitched as she smelled herbs. She was laid on a cot close to the floor.

"Feverfew, goldenrod, and marigold," Iceberry said approvingly. "Good job, Mosspaw." She paused. "I don't remember collecting oak leaf."

Mosspaw's voice was shy and quiet. "In leaf-bare, Sparrowpaw—flight—fell into a thicket filled with dried oak leaves. They were a little shriveled, but I took them anyway."

"Well, Sparrowflight did me a favor," Iceberry replied. "Right, I think Mothpaw's got an infected wound. I need to take off the bandages. You hold her up so I can unbind them."

Mothpaw felt her shirt being tugged off over her head and laid modestly over her chest, leaving her bandaged belly exposed. Then two hands pushed underneath her and heaved at her shoulder blades, raising her back off of the bed.

She felt the sweat-soaked bandage around her stomach unwind slowly and gently. She winced as it neared the wound. Then it was off.

Mosspaw gasped, releasing Mothpaw's shoulder blades. "That's nasty."

"Yes," Iceberry agreed wearily. "I wish I had gotten to that sooner. Mosspaw, wash your hands, and I'll wash mine."

Mothpaw lay their tensely for several heartbeats before the girls returned.

"Right, let's clean that off," Iceberry instructed.

Pain pricked at her as the wound was blotted with a damp cloth.

"And now for the poultices." Iceberry leaned into Mothpaw's line of sight. "This is going to hurt."

Mothpaw shivered as a draft blew into the hut. The breeze did not help her fever at all. She broke into a sweat as they returned, unable to repress a shudder.

"You'll be fine," Iceberry said. "Stop worrying."

Mothpaw swallowed hard and tried to nod.

A burst of pain sent stars swirling through her mind. As the medicine nekos continued to prod at the wound, her eyes rolled back in her head and, with a groan, she passed out.

She came to a while later in a cold sweat. She coughed and shuddered, sweat streaming down her face. Her vision blurred at the edges, and she blinked away hallucinations.

"Mothpaw?" She heard Mosspaw's whisper. "Are you awake?"

Mothpaw moaned.

"Mouse dung!" Mosspaw exclaimed. "Iceberry, her fever's risen."

Mothpaw heard Iceberry stir in her bed and quick feet hurry over. A hand felt her brow. "You're right, Mosspaw," Iceberry muttered tensely. "Feverfew and water, _now_."

Mosspaw scurried off and soon pressed leaves into her mentor's hand. Mothpaw lay there, listening to the sounds around her, until a green pulp was pressed to her lips.

"Eat it," Iceberry instructed. "It'll bring your fever down."

Mothpaw forced herself to obey, gagging on the herbs. Cool water bathed her face and filled her mouth when she was done, and she drank gratefully. She dozed off, feeling better for the first time in a day.

She blinked awake into a dream, floating in darkness. Images of the frog from the first dream flashed in her mind, along with its evil cackle. As she spiraled downward into unconsciousness, the gray-haired man spoke again.

"_Beware the frog in the stream that will bring destruction to the whole forest. Only the moth in the meadow can save the Clans."_

She woke with a shudder—of fear, not illness. She felt cooler, as well as hungry and thirsty. Her bandages had been changed, and her wound only ached. She craned her neck to see Mosspaw sewing something from deerskin.

"Mosspaw," she croaked.

Mosspaw looked up and dropped the stitchery. "Good morning, Mothpaw," she said. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Can I have some water, and maybe some berries?"

As Mosspaw fetched the items, Iceberry returned, her arms full of herbs. "Hi, Iceberry," she called. "I think your herbs did the trick." She smiled tiredly. "I'm feeling better."

"Good," Iceberry sighed in relief, putting down the herbs. "You had a terribly high fever last night. I'm glad you're awake."

Mosspaw returned and held a cup of water to Mothpaw's lips. She drank thirstily and ate the blueberries, smiling at the burst of sweetness in her mouth.

Invigorated, she sat up on the cot. "I'm going to the grounds," she announced.

"Can you walk?" Mosspaw asked.

"I think so," Mothpaw grunted, pushing herself off of the low cot. Her legs felt wobbly, and laying down had made her dizzy upon rising. She put her hand to her forehead as lightheadedness darkened her vision.

"Take it easy," Iceberry warned, taking Mothpaw's arm and pushing her gently back onto the cot. "I don't think you could walk all the way to the grounds by yourself without passing out."

"I'll go with her," Mosspaw offered.

In any other situation, Mothpaw would have been embarrassed to be escorted to the grounds, but she was genuinely afraid she would faint. She grudgingly accepted her younger sister's help.

The two headed awkwardly for the strip of land that served as a latrine system. It was just outside of camp, in a shaded clump of trees for privacy. Iceberry grew a lot of her herbs in the fertile soil. Mothpaw sidestepped a clump of catmint growing in a patch of sunlight. _I'm surprised it survived leaf-bare._

"I'll go, too," Mosspaw called. "I'll be over here. Can you manage on your own?"

"Yup," Mothpaw replied, staggering slightly as Mosspaw released her arm. "If not, we're barely a tree-length from camp, and I can lean on trees."

The two girls took care of business and headed back to camp.

"Let all nekos old enough to catch their own prey gather!"

The sisters looked at each other. "Lionstar's calling a meeting," Mothpaw panted. The two hurried into camp to see the leader in the center of the clearing and Blizzardpaw, Waterpaw, and Smokepaw nearby, standing proudly.

"Three apprentices have passed their final assessments with incredible bravery. Waterpaw helped Sparrowflight drive off a bear a few days ago. Smokepaw and Blizzardpaw have shown equal dedication to their Clan and Clanmates. Graynose, Rainclaw, Moonfoot, have your apprentices learned the warrior code and the ways of the Clans?"

Moonfoot, the oldest of the three, stepped forward and nodded solemnly. "I believe I speak for Rainclaw and Graynose as well. Our apprentices are more than ready to be warriors."

Lionstar smiled. "Good." He raised his eyes to look at the darkening sky. "I, Lionstar, leader of LightningClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to honor the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Waterpaw, come forward."

The brown-and-white-haired young man did so courageously. Lionstar placed his hand on Waterpaw's shoulder.

"Waterpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

"I do," Waterpaw vowed, lifting his chin.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Waterpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Waterclaw. StarClan honors your bravery and your fighting skills, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Waterclaw put his hand on Lionstar's and bowed his head respectfully. As he padded to the edge of the clearing, his clear green gaze locked with Mothpaw's, and she shivered at the hunger in his eyes. _What in StarClan's name does he want?_

"Smokepaw, come forward." The young man obeyed, his gray tabby tail stiff with anticipation. Lionstar placed his hand on Smokepaw's shoulder. "Smokepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

Smokepaw's eyes flashed. "I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Smokepaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Smokepelt. StarClan honors your tactfulness and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Smokepelt placed his hand over Lionstar's and bowed his head respectfully.

"Blizzardpaw, come forward."

The white-haired young woman did so. Mothpaw noticed that her eyes had turned from the blue of a girl to the color—in her case, green of a mature neko. _She's grown up._

Lionstar placed his hand on her shoulder. "Blizzardpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

"I do," she promised.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Blizzardpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Blizzardwing. StarClan honors your compassion and your knowledge, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Blizzardwing placed her hand over Lionstar's and bowed her head respectfully.

"Waterclaw! Smokepelt! Blizzardwing!" Mothpaw was one of the first to cheer for the new warriors. She was fond of the siblings so close to her age. She shivered. _And I'll be taking that vow soon!_

As the cheers died down, Mothpaw approached Blizzardwing. "Congratulations," she said. "I didn't know you were that wise," she added in a teasing tone.

"I didn't either!" Blizzardwing replied happily.

"New warriors!" Moonfoot called. "Come here for your vigil!"

"Rats," Blizzardwing complained good-naturedly. "A night outside. Just what I want! Bye, Mothpaw!"

"Bye!" she called.

As the siblings departed, Mothpaw's head spun. Being up had made her tired. After watching her friend's warrior ceremony, she was eager to return to training. _I'd better rest up and get better!_

But the words of the gray-haired man echoed in her mind suddenly. _"Beware the frog in the stream that will bring destruction to the whole forest. Only the moth in the meadow can save the Clans."_

_Great StarClan, what does this mean? Why won't he leave me alone?_

**Word count: 2,000 on the dot. Note that I am not counting the word "chapter." Why am I writing word counts? So that you can compare the lengths of each chapter and tell me how long is too long! REVIEW :D**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Mothpaw! Wake up!"

Mothpaw awoke with a start. She had had yet another dream about the "frog in the stream." She always seemed to be not fully asleep when she dreamed about this, and she woke up feeling almost as tired as she had when she had fallen asleep. That, coupled with ultimate confusion about the matter, as well as being the oldest girl apprentice, had left her tired and irritable.

"Coming," she grumbled, rolling out of bed.

After dressing, she exited the hut and reported to Blizzardwing. Mothpaw preferred being woken by her friend to Pebblewhisker. The man could really wake someone up! After recuperating for a week and a half, Pebblewhisker had resorted to taking her covers. She was also embarrassed to be seen in her nightclothes by a much older man. She had explained her situation to Robinheart, who suggested Blizzardwing's help.

"What's happening today?" Mothpaw asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Hunting patrol," Blizzardwing replied. "Robinheart wants to take a walk and perhaps shoot off an arrow or two. So you, Robinheart, and I will be a sort of hunting-escort patrol."

"Okay."

"You can go eat something if you want," Blizzardwing offered.

Mothpaw accepted, gulping down leftover stew. Waterclaw and Sparrowflight had killed a deer the other day, and the meat was still tender and delicious. Sparrowflight was more interested in the female warriors over apprentices, so Mothpaw had cancelled her chances with him. Waterclaw appeared to be interested in them as well, but Mothpaw kept catching him staring at her. It made her nervous. She thought he was too old for her now, even though they were only three moons apart. He seemed so mature and arrogant.

She had turned her attention to the apprentices. Scorchpaw was interested in her, but she wasn't interested in him. Nightpaw was too serious for her tastes. Sunpaw was like Waterclaw, almost: he thought he was the best cat in the Clan. Mothpaw snorted. _Just because you look exactly like LightningClan's leader doesn't make you so._ Lastly there was Splashpaw. Mothpaw blushed. He was sweet and cute. He seemed to care about her. He did the same to Mosspaw, but she wasn't allowed to take a mate, even if she was interested in him. She didn't know if she was or not, and she didn't want to start a sisterly feud. _Splashpaw…._

She reddened even more and, fearful of being seen as moony, finished her stew as if it was the most important thing in the world.

"Ready?" Blizzardwing asked. She was massaging Robinheart's shoulders. The woman's stomach was quite swollen. Mothpaw was surprised that Lionstar would let her out of the camp.

"Yeah," Mothpaw replied. "Are you?"

Blizzardwing nodded. "Let's go."

Robinheart heaved herself to her feet and followed Blizzardwing. Mothpaw brought up the rear.

"Where are we going?" Mothpaw asked.

"By the oaks," Blizzardwing called over her shoulder. "I want to get some squirrels."

"What about the bear?" Mothpaw inquired nervously. A young male grizzly had taken to wandering the oaks.

"I'll be fine," Robinheart interjected.

Mothpaw left it at that. She noticed that the queen had said "_I'll_ be fine" instead of "_We'll_ be fine."

Blizzardwing stopped suddenly and drew her bow. Mothpaw scented squirrel and then blood.

"Got it," Blizzardwing said triumphantly, striding out and picking up the squirrel.

As Blizzardwing bent over to pick up her kill, Robinheart flinched.

"Are you okay?" Mothpaw asked concernedly.

"I'm fine," Robinheart replied. "Just a bit of pain. Perhaps they're kicking." She forced a smile, though a hand remained on her belly.

"Maybe you should go back to camp," Mothpaw fretted.

"I'm fine," Robinheart retorted stubbornly. "Stop worrying."

Mothpaw held her tongue as Blizzardwing returned with the squirrel. "It's good and fat," she said approvingly. She paused, scenting the air. "I smell deer nearby. You can get it, Mothpaw."

Mothpaw took Blizzardwing's place at the head of the patrol and crept forward cautiously. Soon she came upon the deer grazing in a clearing. She strung her bow and took careful aim.

"Bear!" Robinheart screeched just as Mothpaw released her arrow. Without caring if the arrow missed or hit, she began barking out orders as if she were the leader of the patrol. "Blizzardwing, get her somewhere out of the way, maybe a tree or a thicket. Then we'll guard her."

"Right," Blizzardwing replied crisply, shoving at Robinheart. Mothpaw yanked a spear-arrow out of Blizzardwing's quiver and strung her bow again, aiming for the hulking brown figure that lumbered out to sniff at the deer. Mothpaw's aim had been true; the deer lay dead.

As the bear ducked its head to sink its teeth into the deer, Mothpaw released the arrow. Suddenly her bow splintered, leaving her holding a piece of wood in each hand. Growling to herself, she picked up the spear-arrow and hurled it at the bear before it noticed her.

She surprised herself with her aim. The spear-arrow embedded itself in the bear's neck. It died almost instantly and flopped over onto the deer, life flowing out of its neck.

"You killed a bear!" Blizzardwing's voice was hushed and awed.

Mothpaw's moment of pride was swallowed up by apprehension as Robinheart gasped in pain.

"The bear's dead," Blizzardwing called. The queen emerged from the bushes, putting her hands to her back and then to her stomach, grimacing.

"I'm having contractions, I think," Robinheart panted. "Do you know what those are?"

Blizzardwing obviously knew. Mothpaw had learned a few moons ago and was immediately alarmed. "We've got to get you back to camp," Mothpaw decided.

The two young women helped the pregnant woman back to camp, pushing her on when she insisted she needed to rest. Finally the three returned to camp. Robinheart was nearly unconscious; Mothpaw suddenly had qualms about forcing her to go all the way without a rest.

Mothpaw ran ahead of Blizzardwing and Robinheart as they neared the camp. She darted through the bramble tunnel and nearly crashed into Pinetail.

"What's the rush?" the warrior asked.

"Robinheart's having contractions," Mothpaw panted. "I have to get Iceberry."

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Just outside," Mothpaw called, hurrying off. She burst into the medicine hut, interrupting a conversation between Mosspaw and Iceberry.

"You could have knocked," Mosspaw grumbled, unusually annoyed.

"No time," Mothpaw said in a rush. "Blizzardwing and I had Robinheart in the forest, and now she's having contractions. We brought her back, but she's barely awake."

"For the love of—" Iceberry interrupted herself. "Come on, Mosspaw. Get raspberry leaf and maybe some lavender."

As Mosspaw gathered the herbs, Iceberry hustled out of the hut. Robinheart had collapsed in the center of the clearing, her eyelids fluttering.

"Great StarClan!" Iceberry exclaimed, darting to Robinheart's side. "Mosspaw, get thyme too!" she yelled. More quietly she said to the queen, "Robinheart, it's Iceberry. You need to wake up. Pay attention to me. Focus on my face."

Robinheart's eyes flickered open; Mothpaw noticed her eyes were glazed. "O-okay," she quavered. "Y-you have some herb on your face."

Iceberry smirked and snatched at the shred of leaf on her cheek. "Enough silliness," she scolded herself, gently feeling Robinheart's belly. "Yes, your kits are coming." She paused. "We can't move her. Blizzardwing, get some of the older women, preferably the ones that have given birth before." Blizzardwing nodded and hurried off.

Mosspaw sidled up. "Lavender, raspberry leaf, and thyme," she reported, handing the leaves to her mentor, "and here's your pestle and mortar."

"I'll get water," Mothpaw offered, heading off. Robinheart looked so uncomfortable. _Why did I want to have kits if it hurts so much? _She quickly retrieved a cup and a small jug of water. When she returned to Robinheart and Iceberry, Blizzardwing had already come back with several older women. They had positioned themselves around Robinheart so as to protect her from prying eyes.

As Mosspaw prepared the herbs, Iceberry and Whitefoot prepared Robinheart for the kitting. Mothpaw excused herself. "I'm going back to get the prey," she mumbled.

"I'll come with you," Blizzardwing added hastily, her pale face flushed. The two young women hurried back out of camp.

They strode in silence for a little before Blizzardwing spoke. "You know, you did great back there."

"When?"

"You know, with the bear."

"Ah. The bear."

An awkward silence settled over them again.

"Thanks," Mothpaw said uncomfortably. "Uh, do you think she'll be okay?"

"I don't know," Blizzardwing admitted. "I haven't really studied up on pregnancy…and I haven't taken after any men yet, so…I wouldn't need to."

"Twigwhisker?"

"Since Ashcloud became a warrior, he's been padding after her."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"I am."

"Fine, then."

They lapsed into silence once more.

"Uh, Blizzardwing?"

"What is it?"

"I think we passed the bear."

Blizzardwing whipped around, her hand on her bow, ready to yank it out of its quiver. "We did?"

"T-the dead one," she replied. "We're nearly at the BreezeClan border."

"Oh."

They backtracked their scent trail and soon found the bear and deer. Mothpaw humbly picked up the deer, letting Blizzardwing take the bear.

"Why do you want the deer?"

"I'm not as strong as you, and it's lighter."

"Why else?"

Mothpaw strode ahead and paused, her shoulders hunched. "I…I thought you were mad that I was being such a know-it-all, so I wanted it to at least seem that you killed a bear."

"But I didn't. Wouldn't that be more awkward?"

"Yeah, but…."

Blizzardwing padded up beside Mothpaw. "Listen," she said. "I like our friendship. Do you think that you passing an assessment, even if it made you seem like a know-it-all, would make me hate you?"

"…Yeah…."

Blizzardwing laughed. "Oh, Mothpaw. You'd have to take a mate from another Clan and completely lie to me to make me at least dislike you."

"…That was an assessment? !"

Blizzardwing's green eyes flashed guiltily. "Oops. That was…er…classified. Until now."

Mothpaw couldn't hold in a smile. "Until now." She grew serious. "Did I pass?"

"I would think so."

"Did Emberpaw get one, too?"

"Yeah, but it was way different than yours. He had to—" She broke off. "Someone's coming."

Falconpelt strode up. The deputy looked slightly ruffled; he must be uncomfortable about the kitting. "I thought I would find you two out here. Blizzardwing, I assume you told her?"

Blizzardwing blinked and smiled sheepishly. "Y…yeah. Sorry about that."

"It's perfectly fine. I expected someone would spill the beans sooner or later. Listen, Mothpaw, that was your final assessment." Mothpaw's jaw dropped as he continued. "And, after I hear the report from our white friend over here—" He gestured at Blizzardwing, who batted at him with playful annoyance. "—we'll see if you passed. In the meantime, why don't you get your prey? I'm assuming you caught some. You look a little overloaded." He leaned in closer to Blizzardwing. "Is that a bear?"

Mothpaw held her tongue as Blizzardwing poured out the story of the deer and then the bear. Mothpaw felt a little conceited to hear the factual praise.

"…So Mothpaw and I brought Robinheart back to camp. It might have been a mistake to push her on," Blizzardwing conceded, "but Mothpaw had the right idea to get her out of danger."

"What could you have done in the future?" Falconpelt asked Mothpaw.

Mothpaw paused. "Have someone stay with her and another to run back to camp for help."

"Very good." Falconpelt paused. "Judging by what I heard here, you have excellent leadership skills. I could honestly see you as Mothstar. If you want to pursue that dream, I believe you are totally capable."

Mothpaw flushed, mumbling in embarrassment.

"I'll carry the bear," he offered Blizzardwing. "It looks heavy."

"It is," Blizzardwing puffed, passing it to the deputy.

As the three entered camp, they almost turned back at Robinheart's agonized wails.

"You've delivered three of them," Iceberry was saying. "You've got one more! You can do it!"

"I can't." Robinheart's voice was an exhausted whisper. "Iceberry, am I going to die?"

"The only thing you could die of now is exhaustion," Iceberry retorted bluntly. "The sooner you have this kit, the sooner you'll feel better."

As Mothpaw passed the cluster of nekos, she overheard Mosspaw's hushed whisper to her mentor. "Iceberry, is something wrong?"

"I hope not," Iceberry replied. Her last words were drowned out by Robinheart. She yelled and began straining.

Mothpaw turned away to deposit the deer on the pile of unprepared animals, trying to ignore the sounds from behind her.

"It's a girl!" Lilyheart proclaimed jubilantly.

"You did wonderfully, Robinheart," Pinetail murmured.

The kits were fussing in unison. Mothpaw wondered how Robinheart could feed them all.

Whitefoot touched Robinheart on the arm. "This is a large litter. I'll help you with anything."

"You may be excused from your warrior duties if you need to be." Lionstar had just walked up.

Whitefoot dipped her head. "Thank you, Lionstar."

Iceberry began giving orders. "Lilyheart, Whitefoot, Pinetail, carry a kit. I'll carry the last one. Mosspaw and Moonfoot, you help her to the nursery."

After the procession vanished into the hut, Lionstar turned to Falconpelt and listened intently as the deputy gave an overview of Mothpaw's final assessment.

After he finished, Lionstar nodded in obvious satisfaction. "I've already spoken with Cloudfoot. Emberpaw was sent on a mission to catch prey for the Clan and encountered a mock battle patrol. He was a bit unconfident at first, but he did well at the front of a battle. He also brought down a moose."

Mothpaw smiled to herself. She hadn't dared to seek out any moose; she had heard how vicious the animals could be.

"Are you going to hold the warrior ceremony now?" Falconpelt asked.

Lionstar glanced at Mothpaw; she was suddenly aware of her dusty, rumpled clothes. "Let's give the apprentices a chance to eat and bathe first," he replied with a hint of amusement.

Mothpaw nodded and headed off. She grabbed some clean clothes from the girls' apprentice hut and, after a moment of consideration, picked a skirt instead of shorts. _I want to look presentable._

She went into the forest, looking for a wide stream. After finding one, she shed her clothes and slid into the water.

Compared to the humidity that signaled the entrance of greenleaf, the water was comfortably cool, even as the sun was setting. She shivered as a fish brushed her leg.

She rubbed vigorously at the dust on her arms, hoping to finish before someone found her. She dove under the water and poked her head out for a quick breath of air.

Then she spotted Splashpaw.

She reddened, lowering herself even deeper into the water, deep enough that water threatened to fill her mouth.

But he walked right by the clearing without a glance.

Relieved, she finished and dressed quickly. She headed back to camp and almost ran into the cute apprentice.

"H-hi, Mothpaw," he said shyly. "I went looking for you, to congratulate you on passing your assessment, but I guessed you were taking a bath, so I left you alone. Did you really catch a bear?"

"Yeah," she replied awkwardly. "Robinheart was having contractions—she was kitting—and there was a bear _right there_." She paused. "But I broke my bow."

"I can make you another one," he offered.

"Thanks, but no." She felt bad for declining. "I'll get another at my ceremony."

"Oh." He looked dejected. "Okay." He started to head off, but Mothpaw hurried forward to walk with him.

"What did you do today?" she asked.

He brightened. "Battle training. I was on Emberpaw's battle patrol. He's a really good fighter!" He blushed. "But not as good as you, of course."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses," she replied. "I know I can think things through, and he's better in brute force."

"Yeah." He paused. "We're here. Did you eat yet?"

Mothpaw groaned mildly as she heard her father's call. "No. But he'll probably let us eat the deer and moose afterwards."

She hurried into camp and took her place beside Emberpaw.

"What took you so long?" he hissed under his breath.

"Taking a bath," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Quiet!"

Mothpaw directed her attention to Lionstar.

"…These apprentices have passed their final assessments with flying colors. They are worthy to be warriors." He raised his eyes to the nearly dark sky. "I, Lionstar, leader of LightningClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to honor the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." He beckoned Emberpaw forward and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Emberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

"I do," Emberpaw vowed.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Emberpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Emberblaze. StarClan honors your fighting skills and your bravery, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

"Thank you," Emberblaze breathed, putting his hand over his father's and bowing his head.

After hearing Emberblaze's name, Mothpaw was looking forward to hearing her own, and came forward when beckoned. She nearly flinched apprehensively as her father and leader put his hand on her shoulder.

"Mothpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan at any cost, even that of your own life?"

Mothpaw met Lionstar's gaze. "I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Mothpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Mothbright. StarClan honors your quick thinking and your leadership skills, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan."

Elated, she put her hand over Lionstar's and bowed her head respectfully.

"Emberblaze! Mothbright! Emberblaze! Mothbright!"

Mosspaw darted forward, beaming. "Mothbright! Emberblaze!" she exclaimed jubilantly. "You're warriors! Congratulations!"

"Too bad you don't have yours yet," Emberblaze commented mildly.

Mosspaw's mood was barely affected. "I know it takes longer for me. In the meantime, I can guess. I like Mossherb."

Emberblaze snorted. "That's a mouse-brained name."

"It's not my favorite," Mosspaw retorted. "Mossdawn, Mossleaf, Mossflower….Anyway, this isn't about me, it's about you. Congratulations!"

"Let's feast!" Lionstar called over the noise. "Emberblaze caught a moose, and Mothbright caught a bear and a deer! It's been a while since this Clan's tasted bear or moose!"

As the Clan clustered around her and her brother, congratulating them, Mothbright thought back to her dreams. _Am I one step closer to discovering the 'moth in the meadow'? What if it's me? What do I have to do with meadows?_

Emberblaze elbowed her. "Hey, stop worrying! Let's eat!"

Mothbright followed her brother to where Lilyheart and Leopardpelt were dishing out food. Suddenly she felt the magnitude of the situation and broke into a broad grin. _It's good to be a warrior!_

**Word count: 3,106. Wow. But it was a good chapter. I love the names better than their originals, Emberclaw and Mothflower. Mothflower doesn't fit her very well; her personality has developed so much more. Please review!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"_What…what could this mean?"_

Mothbright trembled in her sleep.

"_This is an unexpected turn of events. The moth in the meadow…is not in a meadow."_

"_Life is a meadow," _another voice commented mildly.

"_I know that!" _the first one snapped. _"She wasn't supposed to be named this! She was fated to be named Mothflower."_

"_Maybe you were wrong, Wolfstar,"_ the second pointed out tentatively.

The first one heaved a sigh. _"I don't want to admit it, Mosspaw."_

Mothbright started. _Mosspaw? !_

"Mothbright! Wake up!"

Mothbright jolted awake, banging her head on the bed above her. She groaned, holding her head.

"Mothbright! Up, now! There are invaders!"

That was Emberblaze! _What in StarClan's name is he doing in the women's warrior hut?_

"I'm coming, Emberblaze!" she yelled. He shut the door, and she dressed with unbelievable speed.

She raced out of the hut, not stopping to grab a piece of deer meat off of the drying rack. Her belly growled in complaint, but she ignored it.

She almost crashed into the cluster of nekos near the camp entrance. "Good, you're up," Emberblaze said curtly. "A StreamClan warrior and two rogues are wandering our territory. I think there are more than what we see. Lionstar wanted you on the patrol."

As she looked around at the others on the patrol, she saw the Clan's best fighters and tactical thinkers. She blushed. _I find it hard to believe Lionstar thinks so highly of me!_

"Where's Lionstar?" she asked.

"Over here," Lionstar called. He was conversing with Falconpelt at the camp entrance. "Emberblaze has already briefed you. Let's go."

The patrol headed out. Mothbright scented the air and smelled StreamClan and the scent of rotting No-tail food. _Rogues, all right, from No-tail place._

Blizzardwing, an excellent tracker due to her fair skin and snow-white hair and fur, was in the lead, swerving to follow the scent trail. Suddenly she turned back, green eyes wide. "They're coming!" she whispered.

As if planned, most of the patrol plunged into the bushes to hide. Blizzardwing pulled Mothbright into the bushes. Together they crouched, watching the greatly diminished battle patrol.

There were three nekos crashing through the undergrowth. Mothbright did not recognize the huge black-and-white-haired man in the lead or the large brown-haired man behind him, but she did remember the black-and-dark-brown haired man walking with the brown-haired one. _Frogclaw,_ she thought bitterly.

"Sirs," the man in front called. "I smell LightningClan nearby."

"Thank you for your time, sir," Frogclaw said to the brown-haired man. "It would not be a good idea to remain nearby."

"We're prepared," the man commented, hardy concerned.

"Yes," Frogclaw admitted, "but I'd like to save our—your resources."

"Very well," the man replied. "Come on, everyone."

"You're not going anywhere," Lionstar challenged.

The black-and-white haired man locked gazes with LightningClan's leader and did not look back to call to the others. "Sirs, we've got a problem."

Frogclaw and the other man came forward and stood beside him.

"What are you doing in our territory with two rogues?"

"I don't need to explain myself," Frogclaw spat, looking nervous.

"Actions speak louder than words," the other man noted smugly. "Attack!"

The black-and-white-haired man pulled a thick sword made from bone out of a sheath on his back. Mothbright shivered at the dried blood on it.

"Only Badger will attack unless you put your warriors into the fight," the man continued. "And Badger can take you out single-handedly."

Suddenly Waterclaw rolled out of the bush, scuffling with Smokepelt. The two had their knives unsheathed and looked perfectly vicious.

"Warriors!" Falconpelt yelled, stepping in to separate the brothers. "Is this what LightningClan has become?"

"He started it," Waterclaw muttered mutinously.

"We're about to be attacked by a bloodthirsty warrior bigger than any I've ever seen," Falconpelt scolded scathingly.

"Thank you," Badger rumbled, straightening with a pleased look on his face.

"Waterclaw, Smokepelt, _break it up_," Falconpelt ordered. "And see me after the battle."

"A battle?" Waterclaw leapt to his feet. He looked at Badger, sheathed his knife, and pulled a thick sword out of a sheath strapped to his waist. He met Badger's gaze, glaring.

Smokepelt put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Back off," he murmured. "Someone's going to get hurt."

"No duh!" Blizzardwing whispered in a voice only Mothbright could hear.

"Any other warriors?" Badger growled.

"Warriors, attack!" Lionstar yelled. It was overlapped by the brown-haired man's call to combat.

Mothbright's leap out of the bush ended in a stagger of surprise. The warriors summoned by the rogue were huge, battle-scarred, and muscular.

The forest exploded into battle. Mothbright unsheathed her sword and parried a blow from a thicker blade. _That could break a bone! _Mothbright thought in alarm as she dodged.

"Falconpelt!" Lionstar hollered. "Watch out behind you!"

Mothbright started to turn from fending off blows to find the deputy, but a narrow miss forced her to focus on the fight.

"Falconpelt!" Frogclaw wailed mockingly. "Oh, Falconpelt! LightningClan's noble deputy has fallen!"

Mothbright gave her opponent a hard jab in the arm with her sword. He staggered off. Mothbright turned and saw her father crouching over a still, bloodied form. As she watched, Falconpelt leaned up and whispered to Lionstar, blood bubbling at his lips. Lionstar recoiled at his words. Mothbright got closer and caught Falconpelt's last sentence.

"Goodbye, Lionstar," he rasped. "Tell Firelight I love her."

And he died.

Mothbright stared stunned at the deputy's body. His fiery amber eyes were now clouded and blind forevermore. Lionstar blinked away tears and gently closed Falconpelt's eyes with two fingers.

Lionstar rose to his feet. "LightningClan!" he yelled. "Falconpelt gave up his life defending us! Let us fight all the fiercer to avenge his death!" He raised his sword above his head. "To LightningClan and Falconpelt!"

Mothbright hefted her sword above her head. "To LightningClan and Falconpelt!" she hollered.

She heard Emberblaze behind her. "To LightningClan and Falconpelt!" he roared. She heard the sound of metal on bone; her brother was clearly getting motivated. Enraged at the death of its deputy, LightningClan was burning brightly to teach the rogues a lesson.

Mothbright spun on a foot and knocked a rogue cleanly across the head. The clearing rang with the sound of metal colliding with bone, and the astonished yells of the rogues. Mothbright surprised herself with the power flowing through her veins. The rogue she had smacked now lay twitching on the ground. She left him alone and moved to help Flameflower. The red-haired woman was having difficulty fending off two rogues armed with bone clubs. Mothbright dispatched one of them with a swift slice to the collarbone area. The rogue winced visibly at the screeching noise and ran off. Flameflower was able to jab the other in the upper thigh.

"Thanks, Mothbright," Flameflower panted as the rogue hurried off.

"No problem," Mothbright replied, swiping randomly at a passing man. Her sword delivered a clean slice to the seat of his pants, and Mothbright yelled an apology after him. "Sorry about that!"

"It'll only hurt for the next five moons!" the man snapped over his shoulder.

Mothbright flushed as she noticed that it was not a rogue, but Frogclaw himself. "You deserve it, then, for invading our territory," she retorted.

Frogclaw halted and whirled around, narrowing his eyes. "You," he scowled.

"Me," she growled. "You got a problem with that? Or do you want another slice, so that both sides are the same?"

Frogclaw tried to look menacing, but he was grimacing at the same time. "I won't forget this," he shot. "When the forest is mine, you'll be one of the first to go."

"Who, me?" she bluffed, wishing desperately for a powerful Clanmate.

"Yes, y—" Frogclaw's retort was interrupted by a convulsion traveling his whole body. There was a whoosh of breath as the air was knocked out of him. Frogclaw began to say something but was cut off by a hand over his mouth.

"There are young ears here," a voice growled. "Including mine."

_That's Waterclaw!_

"Don't stab me in the rear," Frogclaw muttered around the hand. "Let me go."

Waterclaw widened his eyes in mock surprise. "You want me to let you go? Well, let me see. You invaded LightningClan territory with rogues, mocked a dying noble deputy, and almost _swore_ in the presence of an attractive young woman. Hmm. I'd let you go, but the last one tipped the scale. Nope. You're staying here until you see Lionstar."

Frogclaw growled and kicked savagely, clawing at Waterclaw's arms. The younger man kicked back at Frogclaw's unmentionable injury. The StreamClan warrior howled.

"Don't…do that…again."

"Don't fight, and I won't do that again," Waterclaw pointed out.

"What's going on over here?"

At the sound of Lionstar's voice, Frogclaw renewed his struggles. Waterclaw raised a foot warningly, and Frogclaw quieted.

"I've captured a StreamClan warrior, Lionstar," Waterclaw explained calmly.

Lionstar leaned in toward Frogclaw, gently removing Waterclaw's hand. "Why are you here?"

"It's my business and no one else's," Frogclaw countered.

"It's my business if you're in my territory." Lionstar's patience was running out fast.

The two men stared each other in the eye, simmering. Finally Frogclaw scoffed.

"I won't need to answer to incompetent leaders when I'm one," he sniffed.

"When you're an incompetent leader?" Lionstar asked.

Frogclaw's eyes blazed. "No, you fool, when I'm a perfectly capable leader."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

Frogclaw tilted his head. "Actually, yes." He looked down at Lionstar and unexpectedly spat in his face. Lionstar recoiled, glaring at Frogclaw, but the warrior simply removed himself from Waterclaw and headed off.

"And stay away!" Waterclaw yowled.

Mothbright directed her attention to her father. "Are you all right, Lionstar?"

Lionstar was wiping the saliva from his face with his shirt. "The only thing that's been harmed by that is my dignity," he muttered. "Frogclaw will be back, I'm sure of it. LightningClan has not ridded itself of the pollution that is Frogclaw."

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Mothbright sighed as the Clan walked back to camp. Splashpaw glanced back at her from ahead; his siblings Sunpaw and Flowerpaw were with him. Flowerpaw was hovering nervously, and Sunpaw was shirtless, having given up his shirt as a temporary binding for Splashpaw's left arm. Mothbright wasn't exactly sure what had happened to the apprentice's arm, but it was clearly giving him pain, and she suspected a fracture at best.

Mothbright pricked her ears at sobbing from behind her. She glanced back and saw Brackenpaw crying in Lionstar's arms. She turned away considerately; Brackenpaw's father Falconpelt had been killed in the battle. Mothbright swallowed. _She's taking it hard. I would, too._

Scorchpaw and Nightpaw were by the nekos that bore Falconpelt's body to the heart of LightningClan. Tears ran down their faces, too; even the silent Nightpaw had given up on hiding the tears. Their respective mentors Russetfang and Floodfang came up beside them, comforting them with soft words and gentle touches.

"Leave me alone!"

That was Scorchpaw. The apprentice had the fiery personality of his father, and it was showing in his attitude. Mothbright could almost taste the turmoil of rage and grief in the young neko. Scorchpaw pushed roughly by Mothbright, aggravating a wound, but she bit her tongue and did not call after him as he ran blindly ahead.

_Battle is not worth the pain,_ Mothbright reflected. _But we have to remember that this is what we promised at our apprentice ceremonies, our warrior ceremonies, and even by being born into LightningClan. We vowed to protect and defend the Clan at any cost, even that of our own lives. And Falconpelt has indeed kept that vow to the fullest._

"We're here, Splashpaw," Flowerpaw murmured.

"Great StarClan!" Mosspaw ran up to Splashpaw as his head lolled, obviously jokingly.

"I'm dying," he moaned dramatically.

Mosspaw giggled. "You are _not_ dying. You are totally alive, and you are going to get that arm treated." The shine in her eyes vanished as she looked at it. _It's bad,_ Mothbright realized.

Splashpaw's spark of humor warmed Mothbright. _And, though lives will be lost, the Clan will go on. We will live to fight another day._

"Come on," Mosspaw murmured to Mothbright as she helped Splashpaw support his arm properly. "We will live to fight another day."

"I know," Mothbright whispered. "I know."

Emberblaze looked at his sisters strangely as he passed. "I've got two fluff-heads for sisters," he joked, dabbing at a still-bleeding wound. "Talking StarClan and prophecies."

"We're not!" Mothbright objected. "I just said…."

"Oh, quit it," Mosspaw said, nudging Mothbright with her foot as she guided Splashpaw into camp. "He's a big brother; it's what they do. Come on. If you just stand in the forest, those wounds will never heal."

Mothbright smiled gratefully and followed her sister into camp.

She couldn't tell if the camp was mourning or buzzing with excitement. Firelight wept in one corner, clutching a blanket that was probably Falconpelt's. Robinheart's kits Redkit, Tigerkit, Mousekit, and Larkkit were darting around the clearing, pestering every unoccupied neko.

"Are you busy?" Larkkit chirped as Iceberry hurried past.

"Oh, Splashpaw! I heard you were dying!" Iceberry gasped, half-serious.

"I am," Splashpaw croaked. "The rogue came at me, club ready to smack me to StarClan. He—"

"Splashpaw," Mosspaw murmured, pointing out Larkkit to him. The little brown-and-white-haired girl was listening, green eyes wide, to Splashpaw's story.

"Sorry," the boy muttered. "Just kidding. Larkkit, Flowerpaw will tell you everything." The girl was good with the younger ones. Larkkit grinned and hared away.

Splashpaw screwed up his face, grimacing for a moment before continuing. "I was dodging a blow to my legs when I slipped and fell. I think I slipped in blood. A lot of this—" He looked at the stains on his clothes. "—is not mine. I tried to catch myself and landed on my wrist. Believe it or not, the rogue let me go. I think he cared a bit."

"That's nice." Iceberry's voice was crisp. "But I need to help your wrist, not be happy that a rogue had a heart. Come to the medicine den. You too, Mothbright. Mosspaw can treat your wounds and watch me with Splashpaw."

Splashpaw looked at Iceberry as she led him away. "Do you have to examine me thoroughly?"

"Yes." Iceberry barely broke stride. She paused in the entrance to the medicine hut. "But you're a man," she teased, turning to look at him. "It shouldn't bother you. We're not being _that_ thorough."

"Right." Splashpaw flushed, glancing at Mothbright, before ducking into the hut.

Mothbright followed them in. Mosspaw guided her to a spot on the edge of the hut, where bowls of poultices waited for use. Iceberry took a cot from the floor and laid it on a large piece of wood, long enough for even muscular men to lie on and thick enough to be comfortable for the healer.

"Take it off," Iceberry ordered, tugging on Splashpaw's blood-spattered shirt.

Mothbright was distracted by a sting of pain on her upper arm. Mosspaw had rinsed a wound and was now smearing goop into it.

"Take it easy," Mothbright winced.

Mosspaw pressed more gently. "Sorry," she whispered, "I was watching Iceberry."

Mothbright directed her attention back to the medicine cat. She was unbinding the temporary sling on Splashpaw's arm. Beneath the sling, the affected wrist was wrapped tightly with a torn shirt, likely the same from which the sling was taken. Iceberry gently pulled the shredded fabric away from the injury.

"That's nasty." Mosspaw winced. "Lots of swelling."

The wrist was red, swollen, and obviously given the apprentice pain. When Iceberry reached out to touch it he snatched his arm back, a tear on his face.

"I have to feel it," Iceberry said, reaching for the wrist. Splashpaw held out his trembling arm, and the medicine neko gently prodded the swollen area. Splashpaw cried out, more tears joining the first.

"Stop," he pleaded.

"Hm. Sit." Iceberry gestured at the block of wood and began talking, half to Mosspaw and half to herself. "The swelling's pretty bad."

"Understatement," Mosspaw muttered under her breath.

"True," Iceberry admitted, seeming to have heard her apprentice. "I am sure that there is a broken bone involved, but I won't know for sure until the swelling comes down. Moss, are you done with Mothbright yet?"

"I just finished," Mosspaw answered, getting to her feet. "Mothbright's good to go."

"Great job. Come here, and I'll show you how to bring the swelling down."

"Comfrey?" Mosspaw guessed, coming over.

"Correct." Iceberry looked at Mothbright. "You're free to go."

Mothbright dipped her head. "Thank you, Iceberry."

Iceberry seemed surprised by Mothbright's show of respect but did not comment on it. "You're welcome."

Mothbright smiled at Mosspaw and left.

Only then did she remember her dream that she had before the battle.

**Mystifying. Please review~!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Come, Mothbright. It's time for Falconpelt's burial and for Lionstar to name the next deputy."

Mothbright looked up from where she sat on her bed, stitching a tear in a shirt. "Coming," she answered, putting down the shirt and following Lilyheart.

Falconpelt lay in a coffin in the center of the clearing. Firelight, Scorchpaw, Brackenpaw, and Nightpaw were dressed formally in the fur of the rare black bear, tears on their faces.

Lionstar stood behind Falconpelt's coffin and lifted his head to the starry skies. "I thank StarClan for the life of Falconpelt, warrior of LightningClan, deputy of LightningClan, mate of Firelight, father of Scorchpaw, father of Brackenpaw, and father of Nightpaw. He served his Clan well for his entire life. Today he was struck down by a rogue from No-tail place in a battle defending LightningClan. His life and spirit will be honored forever. May he rest in peace with his kin and Clanmates long gone."

Smokepelt wiped a tear from his face. "I was supposed to meet with him after the battle for a scolding with my brother," he said. "I honor his wisdom."

"He was a perfect mate," Firelight sobbed.

"A fine deputy," Willowtail rasped.

"The fiercest warrior in the Clan," Birchfoot agreed.

"A great mentor," Sunpaw added sadly.

"A wonderful father," Brackenpaw choked.

Scorchpaw's head drooped. "I miss him."

Nightpaw sighed deeply, as if many seasons older than he actually was. "I wish I had known him longer," he said solemnly. "He was the giver of advice to me and to the whole Clan." Then he broke down. "Falconpelt, why did you die?" he cried.

"It was his time," Lilyheart murmured.

"We all miss him," Blueleaf concluded.

The leader raised his head again. "I say this before the spirit of Falconpelt, that StarClan may hear and approve of my choice." He waited for one tense moment. "Floodfang will be the new deputy of LightningClan."

The light-haired man stepped forward solemnly. "I am honored, Lionstar," he said, "and I hope I prove to be as good a deputy as you believe I can be."

Lionstar smiled. "You are very capable. I am honored to appoint you as my deputy." He raised his head. "Elders, the time has come to bury Falconpelt. Family of Falconpelt, you may come, as well as anyone who feels moved to do so."

Birchfoot and Whitewhisker picked up the coffin and held it between them. Falconpelt's kits and mate, as well as his sister Flameflower, followed Falconpelt's coffin out of camp. Waterclaw and Smokepelt went with them, in addition to Floodfang and some other nekos. The procession left the camp with Lionstar at the back.

Mothbright allowed herself a few moments of grief for the lost deputy. She hadn't known him well, but he had been a great teacher, father, and deputy. LightningClan had benefitted from his position. Now Floodfang would be deputy; he would try to follow Falconpelt's example. _Maybe if Floodfang becomes leader he'll get one of his lives from Falconpelt._

"Hey, Mothbright."

Mothbright pricked her ears at the familiar voice. Splashpaw came up next to her, his wrist wrapped in leaves.

"How are you feeling?" Mothbright asked.

"Really weird," he admitted. "I got a poppy seed for the pain and took a nap. I don't think it wore off yet, though." He squinted at Mothbright. "Why are there two of you?"

"You should get back to your bed," Mothbright advised.

"Good idea," Splashpaw mumbled. "'Night."

"Sleep well," Mothbright called teasingly.

Mothbright turned at the sound of footsteps. Those who had attended the burial were back and looking a bit more at peace.

"He's with StarClan now," Eggfoot pointed out. "He's among old friends, and don't forget his parents and brother."

Flameflower's eyes glistened. "Yes," she agreed, "he'll be happy with Blazeheart." Mothbright wasn't familiar with the story, but apparently the brother of Flameflower and Falconpelt had frozen to death while sitting vigil. Mothbright still felt that the death had been unfair; he had been made a warrior after his siblings and clearly deserved the position. _But we had unfair odds in that battle. We have no control over some things._

Floodfang looked around the camp. Mothbright followed his gaze to the cleaning area where animals were prepared for cooking. There were two squirrels there, not enough to feed a whole Clan. "We need food," he decided. "Anyone up to it?"

Mosspaw raised her hand. "I'll gather berries and such, if no one else will," she offered.

Iceberry looked at Mosspaw. "Sorry, but no. I need you in my hut today."

Mosspaw's shoulders sagged.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," she promised. "Remember, tonight's the half moon."

Mosspaw brightened. "Okay." She followed Iceberry away.

"I'll get the berries," Flowerpaw offered, "if it's okay with Blueleaf."

Blueleaf nodded. "I'll come, too."

Flowerpaw suddenly looked nervous.

"It's not your final assessment," Blueleaf added with a twitch of her whiskers. "Though it should be coming up soon."

Sunpaw pumped his fist in the air. "Who will be my mentor?" he demanded, turning suddenly to Floodfang.

The deputy twitched his whiskers with a smirk. "Eager, aren't you? Your mentor will be Rainclaw, if that's okay with you?" he asked as the man walked up.

"That's fine with me," Rainclaw rumbled.

"You have initiative, Floodfang," Lionstar noted. "That can be good, but don't overuse it."

Floodfang dipped his head. "All right, Lionstar," he answered with a gleam in his eye.

Mothbright tilted her head. _They're good friends, it seems._

Floodfang turned to the nekos. "Okay. Flowerpaw, Blueleaf, you two can collect berries and herbs for food. You should take someone with you…Mothbright, would you go?"

Mothbright nodded, surprised.

"And—"

"May I go?"

Mothbright turned, whiskers twitching, to see Splashpaw. His eyes were bright; the poppy seed must have just worn off. His wrist was bound in comfrey leaves held together with thin strips of bark.

"Where do you think you're going?" That was Mosspaw, just behind Splashpaw. She caught him by his right forearm, pulling him back. "You can't go out in the forest, not now."

Splashpaw turned around to address the medicine neko apprentice. "Please let me go," he begged. "Flowerpaw, Blueleaf, and Mothbright are going. It's not like I'll be alone. And they're just getting food!"

Mosspaw hesitated, gazing into Splashpaw's green eyes. Mothbright winced; was that pity or something more in her sister's gaze?

"Please," he repeated.

Mosspaw glanced back toward the medicine hut, obviously looking for her mentor. Iceberry was not outside the hut. She turned back to Splashpaw. "I'm sorry, but no," she said finally. "The best thing for you to do now is to rest that wrist." Splashpaw opened his mouth to protest, but Mosspaw kept talking. "You could hurt it more, and then it would take longer to heal. And that means you would have to wait to be a warrior."

Splashpaw winced. "I'll go and rest," he mumbled, walking dejectedly away.

Iceberry slipped up behind Mosspaw. "Good job," she murmured. "Come on!"

Mentor and apprentice departed, leaving Flowerpaw staring up at the older nekos. Her belly rumbled, and Mothbright winced sympathetically.

"When are we leaving?" Flowerpaw asked, a little too loudly.

"Right now, of course, unless you have a better idea," Blueleaf answered.

"No, that's okay," Flowerpaw replied quickly.

Blueleaf stood nearby as Mothbright slung her quiver over her back. Just before they joined Flowerpaw by the exit, Blueleaf elbowed Mothbright and muttered, "He's watching you."

Mothbright looked around bewilderedly until she noticed a young man sitting on a log outside the medicine hut. The setting sun blazed behind him, and for a few heartbeats Mothbright didn't recognize him at all, just took in the shape of his relaxed, muscular shoulders, handsomely uncut hair, and angled ears. Then she made out the green eyes of Splashpaw, which looked nearly the color of the forest at dusk. His eyes widened as she caught his gaze, but he didn't look away. Mothbright felt her face grow hot, and she blinked and turned away.

"He likes you," Blueleaf whispered.

Mothbright's temper flared at the older woman. "It's no one's business," she growled. "I…I don't even know anything like… There's nothing…."

Mothbright turned very subtly to look back at Splashpaw. He hadn't looked away yet, and she couldn't hold in a gasp as his gaze met hers again. Then she felt Blueleaf tap her arm and pull her away.

"We have to get food," she reminded Mothbright.

Mothbright felt as if her head was full of clouds. "Right," she stammered awkwardly. "Let's go."

As the three young women left the camp, Mothbright imagined she could still feel Splashpaw's eyes at her back.

Mothbright wasn't even aware of her walking. She kept replaying the scene in her mind. Splashpaw had always seemed less mature to Mothbright, but that was because she had known him since he was a tiny kit… Right? Yet when she had seen him in the sunset she hadn't known who he was. His eyes weren't even blue anymore. _They've been green for some time now._

_Splashpaw's grown up._

"Mothbright!"

Mothbright turned, surprised, at Flowerpaw's call. The young woman was crouching with Blueleaf by a cluster of leaves. Blueleaf was digging intently with a trowel.

"You just kept walking," Blueleaf said, not looking up from her digging. "I swear you would've walked straight into the Gathering hollow if Flowerpaw hadn't yelled."

Mothbright's cheeks burned, but Blueleaf kept talking. "Flowerpaw, look here. See these roots?"

"They look nice and fat," Flowerpaw commented.

"Yes, but look at the color. They're not good for eating. This plant is bad, and we should get rid of it so it can't grow anymore." She grabbed the plant by the stems just above the soil and yanked hard. The plant came up so easily that Blueleaf lost her balance and stumbled backwards. Mothbright wrinkled her nose at the sudden odor.

Flowerpaw gasped. "Yuck!"

Only one of the roots looked reasonably healthy. The rest were blackened by rot or splotched with a sickly orange color. Blueleaf hurled the plant onto a pile of leaves left over from leaf-fall and used her trowel to scoop earth and dead leaves over it.

"Now it won't spread," she said with satisfaction, dusting off her hands.

Flowerpaw looked at her mentor. "I know a place where we can find more roots," she offered.

"Lead the way," Blueleaf instructed. "And Mothbright, watch where you're going, for StarClan's sake!"

The three women returned carrying roots, berries, and herbs. Flowerpaw had fallen into a raspberry bush, which allowed them to pick both the berries for eating and the leaves for Iceberry. A few cuts were scattered on Flowerpaw's skin, and her clothes and hands were stained with the juice, but she was very proud of herself.

Splashpaw dashed over, taking some of the larger roots from Mothbright's hands. A shiver went down Mothbright's spine as his hand brushed hers. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "You've got a lot! And just in time, too—Robinheart is hungry. But aren't we all!"

Mosspaw trotted over, sniffing the air. "Raspberry leaf?" she guessed. Blueleaf offered them to her, and the medicine neko apprentice accepted them happily. "With greenleaf here," she explained, "we'll have more kits. Iceberry used the last of the raspberry leaf on Robinheart. Where did you find it?"

"Near the StreamClan border," Mothbright told her absentmindedly, staring across the clearing to where Splashpaw was rinsing the roots in the stream that trickled near the edge of the camp.

"I fell into it," Flowerpaw moaned good-naturedly.

"You'd better wash those off," Mosspaw advised. "We have plenty of herbs, and I know you don't get infected easily, but it's still for the best."

Flowerpaw nodded. "I'll wash off some more roots while I'm at it."

As Mosspaw left, the scent of Emberblaze drew Mothbright's attention away from Splashpaw. He was entering the camp with Rainclaw, Sunpaw, and Dawnstripe at his heels. All the women were holding prey; only Emberblaze was empty-handed.

Mothbright went over to him. "Hi," she said. "Did you catch anything?"

"Nope," he replied cheerfully.

That was unusual. Emberblaze was the type that would lose his temper if so much as a sparrow got away from him.

"Had a good day?" she asked, following him as he went to slip his quiver and bow into the storage log outside the men's warrior hut.

"A _great _day," he corrected her. "Now I'm going to help clean the fresh-kill. You want to come?"

Mothbright didn't like the job, but Splashpaw was looking over at her. She opened her mouth to agree, but Iceberry called her name from the medicine hut.

"Sorry, I can't," Mothbright apologized, just as Emberblaze was saying, "I guess Iceberry needs you. Maybe another time?"

Surprised by his politeness, Mothbright nodded. "Another time," she echoed as Iceberry called again.

Mothbright hurried over and slipped into the hut. "What is it?" she asked.

Mosspaw was there, pushing some herbs into the storage—including the raspberry leaf—and pulling others out. "We want you to come to the Moonriver," she said breathlessly.

Mothbright blinked, shocked. "Me? If you needed a warrior escort, why not some other warrior? I haven't even eaten—I've been out all day—"

Iceberry looked over. "No, Mothbright. Mosspaw needs _you_. Now hurry up and eat! We're leaving shortly."

Mothbright had no choice but to sigh and mutter agreement.

**Word count: 2,228. This chapter took a long time for me to get around to completing. The funeral section was written more than a month—most likely more than two or three months—before the end of it. Now I'm totally going away from the original here. Let's just say I've started following the _general_ guidelines ;). Please review!**


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